Teaching and non-teaching staff of Lagos state-owned universities have intensified efforts to commence an indefinite strike. The industrial action would affect workers in four institutions — Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) and Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).
The workers are operating under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU). They announced the strike decision at a press briefing in Lagos on Friday.
According to the unions, they had exhausted avenues for dialogue with the government without satisfactory resolution of the disputes. Chairman of JAC, Prof. Ibraheem Bakare, said the unions had exercised restraint and remained committed to resolving the issues through negotiation but were forced to embark on the strike after repeated attempts failed.
Among the major demands is the full implementation of the signed 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/unions agreement across the four state-owned universities. The unions are also demanding payment of nine months’ accumulated arrears covering January to September 2026, as well as compliance with the agreed non-taxable status of negotiated allowances.
The unions further demanded implementation of a 15 per cent “Lagos Factor” allowance, which they said was necessary to cushion university workers against the high cost of living in the state. They also accused the state government of failing to implement earlier commitments attributed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, including a 20 per cent salary increase announced in 2023.
The unions alleged that the state government had adopted different standards in the treatment of university workers and core civil servants, claiming that the latter continued to enjoy allowances and other benefits allegedly denied university staff. They expressed concern that some states with fewer financial resources had commenced implementation of similar agreements, questioning why Lagos should be an exception.
The unions said only urgent intervention by Governor Sanwo-Olu could prevent the strike from causing prolonged disruption to academic, administrative and other activities across the affected institutions. Bakare said failure to resolve any of the demands would undermine existing agreements and make it impossible for the unions to suspend the strike.
Key points
- The strike would affect workers in four Lagos state-owned universities.
- The unions are demanding full implementation of the 2025 FGN/unions agreement and payment of nine months’ accumulated arrears.
- The strike decision was announced at a press briefing in Lagos on Friday.
