- The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned of imminent strikes at state-owned universities in Lagos, Gombe, and Plateau states.
- State governments are accused of failing to implement the December 2025 agreement, which includes a 40 percent salary increase and a research allowance.
- A recent national audit revealed that only Sa’adu Zungur University and Ekiti State University have implemented the package among reviewed state institutions.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a stern warning of an impending wave of industrial unrest across several state-owned universities in Nigeria, pointing accusing fingers at state governors for failing to implement newly signed welfare agreements.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the union highlighted growing discontent among academic staff, noting that the ongoing delays could trigger highly disruptive and avoidable strikes.
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This development threatens to paralyze academic activities at several prominent institutions, including the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), Gombe State University (GSU), and Plateau State University (PLASU).
This brewing crisis stems from the widespread failure of state governments to honor the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
The landmark deal, which formally replaced the long-standing and contentious 2009 pact, was officially signed on December 23, 2025, and took effect on January 1, 2026.
The renegotiated package features a crucial 40 percent salary increase for university lecturers alongside the introduction of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, designed to assist academic staff with publication and research costs.
However, six months after its official commencement, ASUU leaders revealed during concurrent press conferences that the majority of state administrations have yet to implement the terms, despite having fully participated in the rigorous negotiations that led to the agreement.
In Lagos State, the agitation has reached a boiling point. Addressing a press briefing at the LASUSTECH campus in Ikorodu, the ASUU Lagos Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Adesola Nassir, called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to urgently intervene before the situation degenerates into a full-blown shutdown of the state’s three tertiary institutions.
Nassir expressed deep disappointment, revealing that six months of continuous dialogue with representatives of the Lagos State Government had yielded no concrete results.
He emphasized that the non-implementation of the agreement has left academic staff in Lagos-owned universities feeling deeply neglected, undervalued, and uncertain about the government’s genuine commitment to tertiary education and staff welfare.
Nassir reminded stakeholders that the union endured eight grueling years of renegotiations with the federal government before arriving at the December 2025 breakthrough.
He criticized the Lagos State Government for seemingly playing the ostrich, arguing that Nigeria operates a unified university system and that any refusal by state governments to implement federal agreements is completely unacceptable.
According to the zonal coordinator, the prolonged delay is actively eroding morale across LASU, LASUSTECH, and LASUED, which could ultimately trigger a dangerous institutional decline marked by staff apathy, ethical drifts, sharp practices, and a sharp drop in the quality of graduates.
The union further asserted that Lagos State, given its robust financial resources, has absolutely no excuse to lag behind in staff welfare.
Beyond the salary increments, ASUU is demanding the immediate resolution of lingering local crises. These include:
- The alleged weaponization of administrative matters to terminate the appointment of the ASUU chairperson at LASUED.
- Outstanding entitlements owed to staff at the institution.
- The reinstatement of dismissed ASUU officials at LASU, a bitter dispute that has lingered for nearly a decade.
Nassir warned that the Lagos Zone would fully back whatever industrial actions the individual branches choose to take if the state government fails to act swiftly.
He noted that several state universities across the nation had already shut down over the same issue, and Lagos should not allow itself to slide down that negative path.
Meanwhile, a similar wave of discontent is sweeping through the northern region. The Bauchi Zone of ASUU has accused the Gombe and Plateau state governments of similarly neglecting the welfare of their university lecturers.
Speaking at Gombe State University, the Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Timothy-Aku Namo, warned that the refusal to implement the agreement has severely worsened the living conditions of academics amid current economic realities.
Namo revealed that a recent forensic audit conducted by the union’s National Executive Council on June 21, 2026, exposed a dismal compliance rate, showing that only Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State and Ekiti State University had successfully implemented the agreement among the state-owned institutions reviewed so far.
As tension mounts across these campuses, ASUU has made a final appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu and the visitors of the affected northern universities to step in and crown their tenures with a crisis-free academic environment.
The union stressed that if the universities are eventually shut down, the blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of the respective state governments for their lackadaisical approach to binding agreements.
