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| The Academic Staff Union of Universities |
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Joint Campus Group for Lagos State-owned institutions has launched a total and indefinite strike across three universities, citing the Lagos State Government’s failure to meet key demands. The action, effective immediately, affects Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).
In a statement released on Tuesday, the union’s leadership—Coordinator of the Steering Committee ASUU-LASU Olusegun Babalola, Acting Chairman ASUU-LASUED Grace Abimbola, and Chairman ASUU-LASUSTECH Murisiku Onigemo—announced the industrial action after a 14-day ultimatum issued on 31 August 2026 expired without satisfactory response. A final warning issued on 10 September that “silence is no longer an option” also went unheeded, with the September 13 deadline lapsing without any concrete engagement from the state government.
The core demand remains the full domestication and implementation of the December 2025 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement across all Lagos State universities. This includes the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and critical welfare provisions for both serving and retired academic staff. The union described the strike as a “rescue mission for Lagos State education” and stressed that it would continue until the government signs, domesticates, and fully implements the applicable provisions of the agreement.
ASUU emphasized that the decision was taken with a “heavy heart” and urged students and parents to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding. The union reaffirmed its commitment to constructive dialogue and the swift restoration of normal academic activities once the outstanding issues are resolved. It noted that the action enjoys the full backing of the ASUU national leadership, which had supported earlier letters to university administrations, governing councils, and the state’s visitor.
The Lagos strike forms part of a broader pattern, as several other state-owned universities across Nigeria have also embarked on industrial action demanding that their respective state governments implement the 2025 FGN/ASUU agreement. The union called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, alumni associations, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to support its demands for improved conditions in the state’s higher education sector.
With academic activities now halted indefinitely, thousands of students face uncertainty over the academic calendar. The union maintains that only meaningful engagement and concrete action from the Lagos State Government can bring the strike to an end and restore stability to the affected institutions.