The strike commenced on December 6, as stated by ASUU-LASU Chairperson Professor Ibrahim Bakare and Secretary Sylvester Idowu in a statement dated Sunday, December 8.
The statement expressed concern that this agreement has been enacted in all federal universities and 18 state universities to date.
The union emphasized that the strike aligns with the decision made by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of all university staff unions. A formal notification has been sent to the vice-chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, as well as to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The JAC includes ASUU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), as reported by Punch newspaper.
Additionally, the union is urging the Lagos State Government to align its members' salary scales with those of the Lagos State University of Science and Technology and the Lagos State University of Education, which reportedly offer better compensation than LASU.
ASUU-LASU pointed out that the government has not acted on the recommendations from a committee established to address salary harmonization.
The union also appealed to its esteemed students to exhibit maturity, solidarity, and understanding during this situation, encouraging them to remain calm and observe the developments as they unfold.
They acknowledged that both the state government and university management are making significant efforts to address this unfortunate situation.
ASUU-LASU has rejected a press release issued by the students’ union, which allegedly states that only ASUU members are participating in the strike and that academic activities will proceed without interruption.
The statement, made by the Students’ Union President, Ayomide Adebobola, and Public Relations Officer, Mouyon Asikoto, aimed to reassure students about the continuity of academic activities.
In response, ASUU urged students to disregard this announcement.
The statement reads in part: “Our law-abiding students should disregard the Press Release dated 7th December 2024, jointly signed by the LASU Students’ Union President and the Public Relations Officer that activities continue in LASU despite SSANU and NASU industrial strike.
“We wish to remind them that students have no stake in the matter or possess any right to meddle into welfare issues involving staff members of the university and the government, and as such they should not allow themselves to be used in a matter that does not directly concern them.”