Lagos Vows To Resolve Two-week ASUU Strike

Lagos Vows To Resolve Two-week ASUU Strike

FIC REPORT (LAGOS STATE) – The strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Lagos State Government-owned Universities Joint Campus Group, clocked two weeks on Tuesday the 29th of September ’26 with the Lagos State Government promising to resolve the issues that triggered the action this week.

The union declared the strike on September 15 after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Lagos State Government on August 31, 2026, without, as it put it, “a satisfactory resolution or concrete plan from the government.”

The affected institutions are Lagos State University, Lagos State University of Education and Lagos State University of Science and Technology.

Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, disclosed that the government had agreed to implement the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU agreement and was only awaiting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s approval for the release of fund.

The commissioner said a financial table for the implementation had been computed, adding that the government was now waiting for the governor’s approval.

Sule said, “We have taken a bold step by studying the Federal Government/ASUU agreement. In our commitment to implementation of the agreement, the government has held meetings with management of institutions and staff unions.

“A table has been computed. We are only waiting for the governor’s approval, which I want to assure you we will get between now and Wednesday,” he said.

Sule said the financial implication is implementing the agreement were not captured in the state’s budget, hence the need to reorder items in the budget to raise the needed funding.

We have been speaking with the staff union that the amount involved is huge. This was not envisaged in the budget.

“We never knew this kind of thing would come up this year. So, we are telling them that, for this reason, we are doing re-ordering. The government wants to do re-ordering to bring money from some other MDAs.”

“There are so many ministries, so many stakeholders involved to effect the implementation,” Sule said.

He said representatives of the staff unions were involved in computing the amount required for the implementation.

“The staff unions were part of the process of computation.

“What we did this time around is for the universities to go and do the table and bring it. They brought it, and we all talked about it,” Sule said.

Sule said the government had gone far in the process, stressing that the remaining step was for the governor to approve the release of the funds.

“If you cross-check with them, they will tell you that we have gone far. All that is required is for the governor to sign the release of funds for us.

“And I want to say that this week, we will be through with this by the grace of God,” he said.

He also said the matter would be resolved once the governor returned, adding that the State Executive Council would meet on Tuesday.

“But my promise is that everything will be resolved once the governor returns.

“We will be having an exco meeting tomorrow (Tuesday),” Sule said.

“All this while, we have been doing very well with them, even more than the Federal Government. But we said they must not be left out of this new arrangement,” he said.

The ASUU declared the strike, stating that the state government allowed the September 13 deadline to lapse without initiating dialogue, despite its final warning on September 10 that “silence is no longer an option.”

Its principal demand remained the “full domestication and implementation of the December 2025 ASUU-FGN Agreement across all Lagos State-owned universities.”

According to the union, the demand includes the implementation of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and critical welfare provisions for serving and retired academic staff.

ASUU had said the strike would remain in force until meaningful engagement produced a satisfactory resolution and the Lagos State Government signed, domesticated and implemented the applicable provisions of the 2025 agreement in full.

It described the action as a “rescue mission for Lagos State education.”

ASUU further said the strike had the full backing of its national leadership, adding that the national body supported the steps taken by the branches, from letters to university administrations, governing councils and the state’s Visitor to the issuance of the 14-day ultimatum.

The union also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, alumni associations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to support its demand.

EKIMIETE OPOGOLANYO
SIO
29 / 09 / 2026.