Academic and non-academic workers in Lagos State-owned universities have commenced an indefinite strike from October 3, 2026, over the alleged failure of the state government to implement agreements reached with the unions. The Joint Action Committee, JAC, of Lagos State-owned universities issued the warning during a media briefing, saying its members would withdraw their services if their demands were not addressed. The committee comprises the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.
The affected institutions are Lagos State University, LASU, Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, LASUSTECH, and Lagos State University of Education, LASUED. JAC Chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Bakare, said the strike would commence at midnight on Saturday, October 3, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Lagos State Government. The decision followed months of unsuccessful negotiations, administrative delays and what the unions described as repeated reversals by government officials over the implementation of the signed 2026 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/staff unions’ agreements.
Bakare said negotiations had appeared to yield progress on August 31, when the government and unions signed a resolution covering revised allowance structures, tax-exempt benefits and the payment of outstanding arrears alongside September salaries. However, he said the September salaries were paid without the agreed adjustments or the outstanding arrears. He added that the failure to implement the agreement had pushed the accumulated arrears owed to university workers to nine months, covering the period from January to September 2026.
The JAC chairman said the unions considered their demands legitimate and within the financial capacity of the Lagos State Government. He listed the demands to include the full implementation of the signed 2026 FGN/unions’ agreement across the four institutions, payment of the nine-month arrears covering January to September 2026, and compliance with the agreed non-taxable status of negotiated allowances. The unions are also demanding the implementation of a 15 per cent “Lagos Factor” allowance to address the economic pressures associated with living and working in Lagos.
The unions further called for the fulfilment of previous commitments attributed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, including a 20 per cent salary increase announced in 2023 and the provision of five Marcopolo buses for the transportation of students and staff. With the strike deadline approaching, the unions appealed to students, parents and civil society organisations to hold the state government accountable for any disruption to academic and administrative activities in the affected institutions.
Bakare stated that the unions had demonstrated unprecedented patience, maturity and commitment to peaceful dialogue, but their patience had been pushed to the absolute limit. He added that the unions had exhausted every possible administrative channel to avert this crisis. The strike is expected to cause significant disruptions to academic and administrative activities in the affected institutions.
The unions remain open to immediate executive action before the midnight deadline, stressing that only urgent intervention by Sanwo-Olu could prevent a shutdown of the universities from Saturday. The strike has significant implications for students, parents and the education sector as a whole.
Key points
- Workers in Lagos State-owned universities have declared an indefinite strike over unpaid nine-month arrears and failure of the state government to implement agreements reached with the unions.
- The strike commenced on October 3, 2026, and is expected to cause significant disruptions to academic and administrative activities in the affected institutions.
- The unions are demanding the full implementation of the signed 2026 FGN/unions’ agreement, payment of nine-month arrears, and compliance with the agreed non-taxable status of negotiated allowances.
