ASUU shuts three Lagos universities indefinitely — here’s why

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a total and indefinite strike across three Lagos State-owned universities, putting academic activities at the institutions on hold over unresolved demands concerning lecturers’ welfare and the implementation of a 2025 agreement.

The affected institutions are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).

The strike took effect immediately after separate congresses of the union’s branches at the three universities on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

But the immediate question for students is not simply why ASUU is striking. It is why a 2025 agreement is still causing industrial action nearly a year after it was reached.

Why are LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH lecturers on strike?

According to ASUU, the dispute centres on the failure of the Lagos State Government to fully domesticate and implement the December 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU across the state’s universities.

The union said the agreement covers several issues affecting academic staff, including the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and other welfare provisions for serving and retired lecturers.

ASUU-LASU has also raised concerns about staff salaries and outstanding retirement-related benefits, with the union saying months of engagement with the government had not produced a resolution.

The dispute is therefore not about the three universities deciding to shut down because of an entirely new disagreement.

Rather, the lecturers are demanding that provisions contained in an agreement already reached with the Federal Government be implemented in the Lagos State-owned institutions.

How did the strike happen?

The strike did not come without a warning.

On August 31, ASUU’s joint campus group issued the Lagos State Government a 14-day ultimatum, demanding action on the outstanding issues.

When the deadline passed without what the union considered a satisfactory resolution or concrete commitment, ASUU issued another warning on September 10.

The union said it made clear at that point that “silence is no longer an option” and gave September 13 as the deadline for meaningful engagement.

According to ASUU, that deadline also passed without the state government initiating the dialogue it was seeking. The union subsequently declared the indefinite strike on September 15.

Why is a Federal Government agreement affecting state universities?

This is one of the important parts of the dispute.

The 2025 agreement was reached between the Federal Government and ASUU, but the three universities affected by the latest action are owned by the Lagos State Government.

ASUU’s position is that the relevant provisions of the agreement need to be domesticated and implemented in the state’s universities.

The union has therefore been pressing Lagos State to adopt and implement the applicable provisions rather than treating the agreement as something limited to federally owned universities.

The issue is not unique to Lagos. ASUU has previously warned that several state governments were yet to implement the 2025 agreement in their universities. In September, the union’s national leadership also threatened wider industrial action over outstanding aspects of the agreement, including welfare issues and unpaid salaries.

What did the 2025 agreement promise?

The December 2025 agreement was presented by the Federal Government as an attempt to address some of the longstanding problems that have repeatedly triggered disputes with ASUU.

The Federal Ministry of Information said the agreement included a 40 per cent upward review of the emoluments of university academic staff, effective January 1, 2026. It was also presented as a framework covering conditions of service and other issues affecting the university system.

But ASUU has maintained that reaching an agreement is not enough if its provisions are not implemented.

That is now at the heart of the Lagos dispute.

What does the strike mean for students?

For students of LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH, the immediate effect is uncertainty over academic activities.

ASUU described the action as total and indefinite, meaning the union has not announced a fixed date for lecturers to return to classrooms.

The duration will instead depend on negotiations with the Lagos State Government and whether the outstanding demands are resolved.

ASUU said it would restore normal academic activities once meaningful engagement produces a satisfactory resolution and the state government signs, domesticates and fully implements the relevant provisions of the 2025 agreement.

This means students are effectively waiting for the dispute between the lecturers and the government to be resolved before knowing how long the disruption will last.

ASUU says the strike is not against the universities

The union has also drawn a distinction between the universities and the state government.

ASUU said the industrial action is not directed at the managements of LASU, LASUED or LASUSTECH, but at securing action from the Lagos State Government.

The union said the leadership of the three institutions had been involved in earlier efforts to resolve the matter and that its national leadership had backed the steps taken by the Lagos branches.

It also appealed to students, parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders, alumni associations and civil society groups to support its demand.

Is this another nationwide ASUU strike?

Not at this stage.

The current action specifically affects the three Lagos State-owned universities covered by the ASUU Joint Campus Group.

However, it comes amid a broader dispute between ASUU and governments over implementation of the 2025 agreement.

Just days before the Lagos strike, ASUU’s national leadership warned that public universities could face a nationwide strike if outstanding issues involving salaries, welfare, deductions and implementation of the 2025 agreement were not resolved.

That means the Lagos action is taking place against a wider backdrop of unresolved issues in Nigeria’s university system, although it does not itself amount to a nationwide shutdown.

What happens next?

The immediate issue is whether the Lagos State Government and ASUU will return to negotiations.

ASUU has left the door open to dialogue, saying it remains committed to constructive engagement and will call off the strike once the disputed issues are satisfactorily resolved.

For students, the key issue is therefore not simply when lectures will resume, but whether the government and the union can resolve the implementation dispute quickly enough to prevent another prolonged disruption to the academic calendar.

As of September 16, reports on the strike had not included a substantive public response from the Lagos State Government to the latest declaration.

The three universities affected are LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH, and the strike remains indefinite until the union’s outstanding demands are addressed.