The years of smooth academic calendars hitherto enjoyed by the Lagos State Government-owned tertiary institutions may have just come to an end as lecturers across the state’s universities have declared an indefinite strike action.
The Joint Campus Group of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), comprising the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), on Tuesday asked its members to down tools with “immediate effect”.
A statement signed by the trio of the Coordinator of the Steering Committee of ASUU in LASU, Olusegun Babalola; Acting Chairman of ASUU in LASUED, Grace Abimbola, and the Chairman of ASUU in LASUSTECH, Murisiku Onigemo, listed the failure of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration to implement an agreement signed between the national leadership of ASUU and the Nigerian government in 2025.
The statement is reproduced below:
PRESS RELEASE
EXPIRATION OF ULTIMATUM: ASUU DECLARES TOTAL,
INDEFINITE STRIKE ACROSS LAGOS STATE-OWNED UNIVERSITIES
LAGOS, NIGERIA — 15 SEPTEMBER 2026 — Following the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum issued to the Lagos State Government on 31 August 2026, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Joint Campus Group—comprising Lagos State University (ASUU-LASU), Lagos State University of Education (ASUU-LASUED), and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (ASUU-LASUSTECH)—hereby declares a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike action effective immediately.
This extreme decision follows the total expiration of the communicated deadline without a satisfactory resolution or concrete plan from the Lagos State Government. In a final warning issued on 10 September 2026, the Union explicitly reiterated that “silence is no longer an option” and continued inaction could no longer be sustained. Despite this, the state government allowed the Sunday, 13 September 2026 deadline to lapse without initiating dialogue.
The Union’s principal demand remains the full domestication and implementation of the December 2025 ASUU-FGN Agreement across all Lagos State-owned universities. This includes the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and critical welfare protections for both active and retired academic staff.
AN APPEAL TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS
The Union takes this measure with a heavy heart, fully conscious of its implications for the academic calendar and the wider university community. We passionately appeal to our key stakeholders for their maximum understanding, patience, and support during this difficult period:
- To Our Dear Students: This fight is fundamentally about preserving the quality and sustainability of your education. A demoralised faculty cannot provide the world-class standard of learning you deserve. We urge you to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding as we push for a permanent resolution.
- To Our Esteemed Parents and Guardians: We deeply share your anxieties regarding delays in your children’s educational journeys. However, our patience has been tested and toyed with over the last eight months. Securing a stable, well-funded tertiary education system today guarantees a better future for your children tomorrow.
- To Our Universities Administrations: We understand your unique predicament and empathize with the challenges you face. This decision is by no means an adversarial action against your office. It is a strategic effort to empower you to superintend over a happy, motivated staff and ensure the smooth running of our universities. Furthermore, the Union highly commends the Administrations’ tireless efforts and commitment toward ensuring the successful domestication of this agreement.
- To the Public, Royal Fathers, and Other Stakeholders: We call on traditional institutions, religious leaders, alumni associations, civil society organisations, and all well-meaning Lagosians to see this as a rescue mission for Lagos State education and lend their voices to this call.
NATIONAL BACKING AND RESOLUTION
ASUU has shown ultimate restraint and consistently advocated for constructive engagement. The responsibility for this painful disruption rests entirely on the Lagos State Government due to its continuous inaction and disregard for agreements successfully implemented by neighbouring states.
It is important to state that the entire process leading to this declaration carries the full backing of the ASUU National leadership. This unwavering support covers every strategic step taken by the branch, beginning with formal letters written to the University Administrations, the Governing Councils, and the Visitor, through to the issuance of the 14-day ultimatum. ASUU National fully expects that the Lagos State Government will tow the line of other state Governors who acted swiftly to resolve these matters to the absolute advantage of their respective universities and staff.
The strike action shall remain in force and will not be suspended until meaningful engagement produces a satisfactory resolution, and the Lagos State Government signs, domesticates, and implements the applicable provisions of the 2025 Agreement in full. 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.
Comrade Olusegun Oluwaseun Babalola
Coordinator, Steering Committee, ASUU-LASU
Comrade Grace Olayemi Abimbola
Ag. Chairman, ASUU-LASUED
Comrade Murisiku Adegbemi Onigemo
Chairman, ASUU-LASUSTECH
