Workers Indefinite Strike Shuts LASU Down
By Sherif Salau
Academic and administrative life at Lagos State University came to a complete halt today as non-teaching staff locked the institution’s gates and the Senate building in full compliance with an indefinite strike declared by the Joint Action Committee of staff unions in Lagos State-owned universities.
The action, which took effect after the expiration of a previous ultimatum, has paralysed teaching, examinations, administrative services and research activities on the Ojo campus. Taskforce teams from the unions moved around the premises to enforce compliance, leaving the once-bustling university unusually quiet.
The shutdown marks a deepening of an industrial crisis that began weeks earlier. In mid-September, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapters at LASU, Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) embarked on an indefinite strike after the Lagos State Government failed to meet a 14-day deadline to domesticate and implement the December 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement. That agreement includes the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and other welfare provisions for serving and retired academic staff.
The Joint Action Committee, comprising ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), later escalated the dispute. The unions are demanding the full implementation of the 2026 agreements, a one-off payment of nine months’ arrears covering January to September 2026, strict adherence to the non-taxable status of negotiated allowances, the application of a 15 per cent “Lagos Factor” to address the high cost of living, and the fulfilment of earlier commitments, including a promised salary adjustment and the provision of operational vehicles.
Union leaders say they exhausted every available channel of dialogue before withdrawing their services. They maintain that the state government’s improved revenue position following national economic reforms places it in a position to meet the legitimate demands of university workers.
For students, the prolonged disruption has already truncated lecture schedules, delayed examinations and cast uncertainty over graduation timelines. Parents and guardians have expressed growing concern over the cumulative impact of repeated industrial actions on the academic calendar and the future of young people enrolled in the state-owned institutions.
The unions have reiterated their willingness to return to the negotiating table once the state government shows concrete commitment to resolving the outstanding issues. Until then, the gates of Lagos State University remain firmly shut, and academic activities stay suspended indefinitely.
