ASUU declares indefinite strike at three Lagos universities - Premium Times Nigeria

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared an indefinite strike at three Lagos State-owned universities over the state government’s failure to meet the union’s demands.

The affected institutions are the Lagos State University (LASU), the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) and the Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).

The ASUU Joint Campus Group covering the three universities announced the strike in a statement on Tuesday, after a 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government on 31 August expired without a resolution.

The union stated that its final warning on 10 September also failed to lead to talks with the government, while the 13 September deadline passed without dialogue.

ASUU is demanding the domestication and implementation in the three universities of the applicable provisions of the December 2025 agreement reached with the Federal Government.

The union listed the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and welfare provisions for serving and retired academic staff among the issues it wants addressed.

ASUU said it took the decision “with a heavy heart”, citing the possible effect of the strike on the academic calendar and the wider university community.

It appealed to students to remain calm, peaceful and law-abiding while efforts to resolve the dispute continue.

The union also acknowledged the concerns of parents and guardians over possible disruption to their children’s education.

ASUU said the strike was not directed at the management of the three universities and commended them for their efforts towards the domestication of the agreement.

It also appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, alumni associations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to support its demand.

The union noted that it had exercised restraint and repeatedly sought dialogue with the Lagos State Government.

It, however, accused the government of failing to act on the issues, saying neighbouring states had already implemented similar agreements.

ASUU explained that its national leadership backed the strike and had supported the process leading to the industrial action.

The union stressed that the strike would continue until the Lagos State Government engages with it and signs, domesticates and fully implements the applicable provisions of the 2025 agreement.

“The Union remains entirely committed to constructive dialogue and to the swift restoration of normal academic activities as soon as these outstanding issues are addressed,” ASUU said.

The Lagos dispute comes as ASUU is also pushing for the implementation of its December 2025 agreement with the Federal Government.

Days before the Lagos strike, the union threatened nationwide industrial action over the issue and raised concerns about the implementation of the agreement in state-owned universities.

Public universities, run by both the federal and state governments, have suffered disruptions to their academic calendars from incessant ASUU strikes for decades.

This has badly affected the reputation and standing of the public institutions, forcing many parents and their wards who desire prompt completion of studies and have the capacity to pay to opt for expensive private universities or schooling abroad where graduation dates are guaranteed.

However, the ASUU crisis afflicting the public universities has reduced drastically since the landmark agreement the President Bola Tinubu-led administration reached with ASUU in 2025.

The truce followed the renegotiation of a 2009 agreement. Successive federal government administrations had breached this agreement, which precipitated protracted lecturers’ strikes across public universities for years.

The new agreement included a 40 per cent salary increase for the academics and the establishment of a National Research Council (NRC) with statutory funding of at least one per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Professors were also to earn a pension equivalent to their annual salary at retirement at the age of 70, according to the agreements reached.

The agreement also captured the government’s commitment to more substantial university autonomy and academic freedom, better funding for universities with allocations for research, libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development.

This agreement was finally reached after the sixth renegotiation committee, set up in October 2025, completed the harmonisation of the negotiations.

While strikes have reduced drastically nationwide in the wake of the latest agreement, various institutions continue to battle local problems which have led to lecturers downing tools, while some broader issues plaguing public universities, including underfunding and poor welfare of lecturers, have largely remained.

Apart from the three universities owned by the Lagos State Government, three universities run by the Ondo State Government have also been grounded by ASUU strike for weeks. The universities are the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OAUSTECH), and the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED).

Over the past few years, many public universities have suffered chronic brain drain as part of the wider unresolved systemic problems confronting public universities in Nigeria. Many lecturers left in droves for other countries in search of greener pastures.