ASUU Shuts Three Lagos Varsities Indefinitely Over Unmet 2025 Pact

Academic activities ground to a halt across Lagos State’s three public universities on Tuesday as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike, accusing the state government of ignoring repeated calls to domesticate and implement the December 2025 agreement reached with the Federal Government.

The industrial action, which took effect immediately, affects Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo; Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Oto/Ijanikin; and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), Ikorodu. The decision followed separate emergency congresses of the three ASUU branches after a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Lagos State Government on 31 August 2026 expired without a satisfactory response or concrete implementation plan.

In a joint statement titled “Expiration of Ultimatum: ASUU Declares Total, Indefinite Strike Across Lagos State-owned Universities,” the union said a final warning on 10 September — emphasising that “silence is no longer an option” — also failed to prompt dialogue before the 13 September deadline lapsed.

The statement was signed by ASUU-LASU Coordinator Dr Olusegun Babalola (also referred to in some reports as Oluwaseun Babalola), Acting ASUU-LASUED Coordinator Comrade Grace Olayemi (or Grace Abimbola in related accounts), and ASUU-LASUSTECH Coordinator Comrade Murisiku Onigemo. The action carries the backing of ASUU’s national leadership, which had endorsed the series of formal communications sent earlier to university managements, governing councils and the Visitor.

ASUU’s core demand remains the full domestication and implementation of the December 2025 ASUU-Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) agreement in the three state-owned institutions. Key elements include the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) — a major component of a roughly 40 per cent upward review of academic emoluments — alongside critical welfare provisions covering both serving lecturers and retired academic staff.

The 2025 agreement, which replaced the long-stalled 2009 pact and took effect from 1 January 2026 in federal universities, restructured pay into the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) and CATA. The latter is designed to fund essential academic tools such as journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership and books.

Additional provisions include redefined earned academic allowances tied to specific duties, a new Professorial Cadre Allowance (approximately ₦1.74 million annually for professors and ₦840,000 for readers), enhanced pensions allowing professors to retire at 70 on the equivalent of their final annual salary, and commitments toward a National Research Council funded at a minimum of one per cent of GDP.

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Lagos ranks among roughly 20 states whose governments have yet to fully implement the pact, even as federal universities and a growing number of state governments — including Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue and others — have moved to adopt it or begin payments of arrears. ASUU has repeatedly urged Lagos to follow the example of those states that acted swiftly.

The union stressed that the strike is not directed at the managements of the three universities, acknowledging their efforts, but aims to compel the state government to address the outstanding issues. “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,” the statement said. It expressed regret over the inevitable disruption to the academic calendar and appealed to students, parents and other stakeholders for understanding and support, describing the action as necessary after prolonged restraint.

The strike will remain total and indefinite until the Lagos State Government engages meaningfully, signs, domesticates and fully implements the applicable provisions of the 2025 agreement. As of Wednesday, no official response from the state government had been publicly reported.