…Varsities on strike
… denies lecturers of CATA, EAA, ‘Lagos factor’, Profs. Life salaries
The Academic Staff Union of Universities chapters in the three Lagos State-owned universities have accused the state government of neglecting their welfare and delaying the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
The lecturers, who spoke with The New Daily Prime on condition of anonymity, also demanded the payment of outstanding arrears and the implementation of the “Lagos Factor”, which they said should reflect the high cost of living in the state.
The affected institutions are Lagos State University, Ojo; Lagos State University of Education; and Lagos State University of Science and Technology.
The lecturers’ complaints come amid an ongoing indefinite strike by academic staff across the three institutions over remuneration, arrears and other aspects of the agreement.
Reacting, ASUU-LASU Coordinator, Dr Babalola Oluwaseun, said the ongoing industrial action was rooted in what he described as the poor salary structure for academics in Lagos State.
According to him, the situation had made it difficult for even senior academics to sustain their families and had created a disparity between the remuneration of university academics and other senior public servants in the state.
“The basis for the ongoing industrial action is the poor salary structure of academics in Lagos State, where even the Prof cannot sustain their family. Where even the most senior Profs are earning less than Secondary Principals,” he said.
Babalola also said the remuneration offered by Lagos State-owned higher institutions had made it difficult to attract quality academics on sabbatical, which he said could affect the development and global competitiveness of the universities.
“Where higher institutions owned by Lagos State cannot attract quality academics on Sabbatical because of poor payment. These situations and conditions are inimical to growth and development of Universities aspiring for global ranking,” he said.
He said the strike was total, comprehensive and indefinite until the government implemented and domesticated the union’s demands.
“The industrial action is total, comprehensive and indefinite. Until the government implement and domesticate our demand,” he said.
Lending his voice, Chairman, ASUU-LASUSTECH, Dr Onigemo, said there was presently no official response from the government.
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Also speaking, Dr Abimbola Grace, Acting Chair, LASUED, said, “The ongoing ASUU industrial action in Lagos State-owned universities has significant implications for the education sector. It disrupts academic calendars, lectures, examinations, postgraduate supervision, research and other university activities, thereby affecting students, parents and academic staff.
“Prolonged disruption can also weaken confidence in public universities, affect staff morale and productivity, and delay research and innovation activities that contribute to socioeconomic development.
“Resolving the impasse would restore academic stability and enable students to resume their programmes without further delays. It would also improve staff welfare and morale, strengthen research and teaching capacity, and rebuild trust between ASUU, university managements and the Lagos State Government.
“Most importantly, a transparent implementation of agreed commitments, supported by clear timelines and funding arrangements, could provide a more sustainable framework for managing future labour disputes.”
One of the lecturers alleged that the dispute was part of a longstanding pattern in which the Lagos State Government delayed the implementation of salary increases and other welfare benefits until workers resorted to industrial action.
“The Lagos State Government has demonstrated a lackadaisical attitude towards the remuneration and welfare of academics. The pattern over the years has been to delay the implementation of salary increases and other welfare benefits, subjecting workers to harsh working conditions, and only responding when industrial action is commenced,” the lecturer said.
The source alleged that lecturers had embarked on strikes within the last two years to press for the implementation of the 25/35 per cent Federal Government salary increases and payment of the corresponding arrears.
The lecturer said the same situation was being repeated with the 2025 FG-ASUU agreement.
The source also questioned the level of support being given by the Lagos State Government to the Federal Government in efforts to resolve recurring disputes with university lecturers.
The lecturer noted that Lagos was the home state of President Bola Tinubu, adding that the state should support the President’s stated commitment to ending recurring ASUU strikes.
Another lecturer faulted the government over what the source described as a failure to prioritise the welfare of academic staff despite the state’s revenue position.
The source cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics, which put Lagos’ Internally Generated Revenue at N1.77tn in 2025.
The lecturer contrasted this with the figures for Ekiti, Osun and Yobe states, which the source gave as N57.09bn, N56.84bn and N16.01bn respectively.
The source alleged that while Lagos had a substantially higher IGR, Ekiti, Osun and Yobe were already implementing the agreement.
“Lagos State is yet to fully justify its position as the Centre of Excellence,” the lecturer said.
“Yet, despite its substantial revenue base, the state appears to be finding it difficult to implement the Federal Government-ASUU agreement. By comparison, Ekiti State, with an IGR of N57.09bn; Osun State, with N56.84bn; and Yobe State, with the lowest IGR of N16.01bn, are already implementing the agreement.”
The lecturer called on the state government to implement the agreement, including all applicable entitlements and the Lagos Factor.
The source also demanded the payment of all outstanding arrears owed to academic staff.
The lecturer said the implementation of the demands would help address the financial difficulties faced by lecturers amid the rising cost of living in Lagos.
Salary disparity
Another lecturer raised concerns over the alleged disparity between the remuneration of university academics and secondary school principals in the state.
The source asked whether it was justifiable for a secondary school principal to earn more than a university professor.
The lecturer alleged that a mid-level principal earned more than N700,000 monthly, while a senior principal earned about N900,000 or more.
The source, however, claimed that professors in Lagos State-owned universities earned between N600,000 and N700,000 monthly.
“This raises a fundamental question about the value placed on academic labour and the remuneration of university lecturers in the state,” the lecturer said.
The source said the union’s demands were not simply about increasing salaries but ensuring that the remuneration of university academics reflected their qualifications, responsibilities and the prevailing economic realities.
“This is why ASUU is on strike to press for improved remuneration and better working conditions. The demands being made are not excessive, simply the total implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, together with the inclusion of the Lagos Factor to reflect the relatively high cost of living in the state,” the lecturer said.
Government, ASUU talks
A fourth lecturer accused the government of failing to engage meaningfully with ASUU before the strike was declared.
The source said the union had written several letters and issued ultimatums to the government in an attempt to resolve the issues before resorting to industrial action.
“Let it be clearly stated that the government bears responsibility for this avoidable industrial action. The strike became necessary following the government’s failure to negotiate and meaningfully engage with us despite our efforts to seek understanding, initiate dialogue, and communicate our concerns through several letters and ultimatums issued by Congress,” the lecturer said.
The source alleged that two weeks after the commencement of the strike, the government was yet to open what it considered a meaningful channel of communication with ASUU.
The lecturer also disputed claims by officials of the Ministry of Tertiary Education that the government was engaging with staff unions.
According to the source, the Joint Action Committee was not the appropriate platform for negotiating the agreement in dispute on behalf of ASUU.
“Those presenting themselves as representatives of ASUU do not represent our interests and are not recognised by the zonal or national structures of ASUU that led the negotiations for the agreement under discussion,” the lecturer said.
The source urged the government to engage directly with the recognised ASUU structures and facilitate the implementation of the agreement.
The lecturer said the ASUU branches at the Lagos State University, Lagos State University of Education and Lagos State University of Science and Technology remained united in their demands.
“ASUU-LASU, ASUU-LASUED, and ASUU-LASUSTECH remain united by a common purpose and commitment to the welfare of our members. We will continue to pursue our legitimate demands through all lawful and available channels,” the source said.
The lecturer added that the indefinite strike was only the beginning of the union’s efforts to secure its entitlements, saying the lecturers remained prepared to take further lawful measures until meaningful engagement was established.
The dispute is coming against the backdrop of longstanding disagreements between ASUU and governments over lecturers’ remuneration, university funding, working conditions and the implementation of agreements.
The Lagos lecturers are demanding that the state government implement the applicable provisions of the 2025 FG-ASUU agreement, pay outstanding arrears and address other welfare concerns.
When our correspondents contacted the state’s Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, he responded via text message, saying he was attending a programme.
Several hours later, our correspondent followed up, but Sule did not respond to further calls as of the time of filing this report.
