ASUU Threatens to Shut Down Lagos State Universities Over Non-Implementation of 2025 Agreement

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on a picketing exercise and shut down all Lagos State-owned universities over the state government’s failure to implement the Federal Government-ASUU 2025 Agreement.
The universities affected by the planned industrial action are the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), and Lagos State University of Education (LASUED).
Addressing journalists on Thursday at the LASUSTECH Main Campus in Ikorodu, the Lagos Zonal Chairman of ASUU, Prof. Adesola Nassir, expressed disappointment over what he described as the Lagos State Government’s prolonged delay in implementing the agreement despite several engagements and official communications.
According to him, the union has exhausted all peaceful avenues by writing multiple letters to the state government without receiving any meaningful response, adding that academic staff can no longer endure what they consider continued neglect.
Prof. Nassir said the union decided to issue a public warning to ensure that its actions would not be misrepresented or politicised.
He noted that the non-implementation of the agreement has left lecturers across the affected institutions feeling neglected, undervalued and uncertain about the government’s commitment to their welfare.
The ASUU leader recalled that the union spent eight years renegotiating the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, a process that eventually led to the signing of the FGN-ASUU 2025 Agreement. He explained that representatives of both federal and state universities, including pro-chancellors and other government agencies, participated in the negotiations to ensure broad acceptance and smooth implementation.
He said the union expected all state governments to honour the agreement to prevent disruptions to academic activities through industrial actions.
However, he lamented that six months of discussions with representatives of the Lagos State Government had yielded no concrete results.
Questioning the government’s commitment to the welfare of university workers, Prof. Nassir said it was contradictory for Lagos State, which prides itself as the “Centre of Excellence,” to fail to prioritise the welfare of the academic workforce responsible for teaching, research and the development of future professionals.
He stressed that no government could genuinely claim excellence while leaving university lecturers in prolonged uncertainty over agreed welfare commitments.
According to him, the continued delay in implementing the agreement has affected staff morale, leaving many lecturers frustrated as they remain deprived of benefits already agreed upon.
The ASUU zonal chairman further observed that many other state governments have already implemented the FGN-ASUU 2025 Agreement, leaving Lagos State among the few yet to comply.
He also expressed concern over what he described as the government’s slow response to internal staff-related issues affecting LASU and LASUED.
Reaffirming the union’s commitment to dialogue, Prof. Nassir said ASUU remains open to constructive engagement but would not allow any government to undermine agreements reached after extensive negotiations.
He stated that the union’s struggle has always been aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s universities and improving the quality of higher education through better welfare for academic staff.
He disclosed that ASUU had formally communicated with all state governments that own universities through their respective vice-chancellors regarding the implementation of the agreement. He also noted that the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) had issued relevant communications on the matter.
Prof. Nassir pointed out that several state university branches of ASUU across the country have already commenced industrial actions over the non-implementation of the 2025 agreement and affirmed that the national leadership of the union fully supports those actions.
He warned that unless the Lagos State Government immediately fulfils its obligations under the agreement, ASUU members in the state’s universities would proceed with plans to picket and shut down academic activities across the affected institutions.