Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Workers' unions across all Lagos State-owned universities have issued a seven-day ultimatum to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's administration, threatening an indefinite, total shutdown of academic and administrative activities if the government fails to address their outstanding welfare demands. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Lagos State-owned universities, comprising the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), made the announcement on Monday, July 27, 2026, at a joint press briefing at the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo campus. The affected institutions include LASU, the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), the Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), and the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).
At the heart of the dispute is the government's failure to pay the N50,000 palliative promised by Governor Sanwo-Olu to all Lagos State workers during the May 1, 2026, Workers' Day celebration. According to ASUU-LASU Chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Bakare, while civil servants in the state have received the payment, staff of the state-owned universities have been excluded despite official communication indicating that tertiary institutions were included in the arrangement. Bakare lamented that the unions had exhausted all peaceful avenues, including consultations with the governor, deputy governor, commissioners, and the Head of Service, but received no positive response.
The unions are also demanding the immediate implementation of the 2025 Federal Government agreements with ASUU, SSANU, and NAAT, which took effect from January 1, 2026. The Lagos Zone of ASUU had earlier warned that the state government's delay in implementing these agreements—covering salary increases, allowances, and improved conditions of service—was fuelling unrest across the three state-owned universities. Lagos State has accumulated seven months of unpaid obligations under these federal agreements, a situation that has left academic staff feeling "neglected, undervalued, and increasingly uncertain about the government's commitment to their welfare". As the zonal coordinator, Prof. Adesola Nassir, put it, "We don't want LASU, LASUED, and LASUSTECH to be shut because of the non-implementation of the agreement. We care for our students but we will not compromise our members' welfare".
The threat of a total shutdown comes on the heels of a separate 14-day ultimatum issued earlier in July by the SSANU-LASU branch over similar welfare concerns, including the N50,000 palliative, salary arrears, and the delayed implementation of the 35 per cent salary increment. The unions have warned that failure to meet their demands within the stipulated seven-day period will leave them with no option but to embark on industrial action. Prof. Bakare stressed, "We cannot continue to allow our members to suffer under the current economic realities". As of the time of this report, the Lagos State Government and the affected university managements had not issued an official response to the ultimatum.
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