Academic and non-academic staff of four Lagos State-owned universities have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from October 3 over nine months of unpaid arrears and the alleged failure of the state government to honour agreements reached with their unions.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the affected institutions announced the planned industrial action during a media briefing on Friday, warning that its members would withdraw their services if the Lagos State Government failed to meet their demands before the deadline.
The committee comprises the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
The affected institutions are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) and Lagos State University of Education (LASUED).
JAC Chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Bakare, said the strike would begin at midnight on Saturday, October 3, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the state government.
Bakare blamed the impending shutdown on months of unsuccessful negotiations, administrative delays and what he described as repeated reversals by government officials over the implementation of the signed 2026 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/staff unions’ agreement.
He disclosed that both parties had reached a resolution on August 31, covering revised allowance structures, tax-exempt benefits and the payment of outstanding arrears alongside September salaries.
However, the unions alleged that the state government failed to implement the agreed adjustments when September salaries were paid, leaving workers without the promised benefits and outstanding payments.
According to Bakare, the unpaid arrears have accumulated to nine months, covering January to September 2026.
“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,” he said.
The JAC chairman maintained that the unions’ demands were legitimate and within the financial capacity of the Lagos State Government.
Among their key demands are the full implementation of the signed 2026 agreement across the four institutions, immediate payment of the nine-month arrears and compliance with the agreed tax-exempt status of negotiated allowances.
The unions are also demanding the implementation of a 15 per cent Lagos Factor allowance, which they say is necessary to cushion the economic pressures associated with living and working in the state.
Additionally, they want the government to fulfil previous 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 transporting students and staff.
As the strike deadline draws closer, the unions appealed to students, parents and civil society organisations to hold the state government responsible for any disruption to academic and administrative activities resulting from the planned industrial action.
Bakare, however, expressed the committee’s willingness to suspend the strike if the government intervened before the deadline.
“We remain open to immediate executive action before the midnight deadline tonight,” he said, urging Governor Sanwo-Olu to take urgent steps to prevent a shutdown of the affected universities.
The proposed strike threatens to disrupt lectures, examinations and administrative operations across the four state-owned institutions if the dispute remains unresolved.