Teaching and non-teaching staff of Lagos State-owned universities have commenced an indefinite strike over alleged failure by the state government to implement agreements reached with the unions and address outstanding demands.
The industrial action, which began on Friday, affects workers at 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).
The unions announced the strike at a press briefing in Lagos, saying they had exhausted available channels of dialogue with the state government without satisfactory resolution of the issues.
Chairman of JAC, Prof. Ibraheem Bakare, said the unions had demonstrated patience and remained committed to negotiation but were compelled to embark on the strike after repeated attempts to resolve the disputes failed.
“We have demonstrated unprecedented patience, maturity, and commitment to peaceful dialogue. However, our patience has been pushed to the absolute limit. We have exhausted every possible administrative channel to avert this crisis,” Bakare said.
One of the major demands is the full implementation of the 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/unions agreement across the four Lagos 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.
Another major demand is the implementation of a 15 per cent “Lagos Factor” allowance, which the unions said was necessary to cushion university workers against the high cost of living in the state.
The workers also accused the state government of failing to fulfil earlier 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.
Bakare said the unions considered their demands legitimate and within the financial capacity of the state government.
He, however, said the unions remained open to intervention by the governor but would not suspend the strike until the outstanding issues were comprehensively addressed.
“We remain open to immediate executive action before the midnight deadline tonight,” he said.
The JAC chairman warned that failure to resolve any of the demands would undermine existing agreements and make it difficult for the unions to suspend the industrial action.
The strike is expected to disrupt academic and administrative activities across the affected institutions until an agreement is reached between the unions and the Lagos State Government.
