The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Lagos State-owned universities announced the planned industrial action at a media briefing on Friday, saying its members had exhausted negotiations and administrative avenues for resolving the dispute.
The strike is scheduled to commence at midnight on October 3, following the expiration of a final seven-day ultimatum issued to the Lagos State Government.
The affected institutions are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), and Lagos State University of Education (LASUED).
The JAC brings together four unions representing academic, senior administrative, non-academic and technical staff across the institutions. They are the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
Addressing journalists, the JAC Chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Bakare, said the decision to embark on the strike followed what he described as months of unsuccessful negotiations, bureaucratic delays and repeated reversals concerning the implementation of the signed 2026 Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/staff unions agreements.
According to Bakare, the unions had initially believed that the dispute was moving towards a resolution after the parties signed an official resolution on August 31.
The resolution, he said, provided for revised allowance structures, tax-exempt treatment for negotiated benefits and the payment of outstanding arrears alongside September salaries.
However, the unions alleged that the agreed provisions were not reflected when workers received their September salaries.
The failure to implement the agreement before the end of September, according to JAC, has left university workers facing accumulated arrears covering nine months, from January to September 2026.
Bakare said the unions had remained patient despite the delay, but warned that their continued restraint could no longer be sustained.
“We have demonstrated unprecedented patience, maturity and commitment to peaceful dialogue,” Bakare stated. “However, our patience has been pushed to the absolute limit. We have exhausted every possible administrative channel to avert this crisis.”
The JAC chairman also maintained that the unions' demands were legitimate and financially achievable by the state government.
“The core demands submitted to the state government include the full implementation of the signed 2026 FGN/Unions Agreement across all four tertiary institutions. A one-off payment covering nine months of accumulated arrears (January–September 2026), strict adherence to non-taxable terms on all negotiated allowances, implementation of a 15 per cent “Lagos Factor” allowance to cushion the economic impact of living in the metropolis, and delivery on past promises made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, including a 20 per cent salary increment pledged in 2023 and five Marcopolo buses for student and staff transit.”
The proposed 15 per cent “Lagos Factor” allowance is being demanded by the unions as an additional benefit intended to address the cost pressures associated with living and working in Lagos.
The workers are also seeking the fulfilment of earlier commitments attributed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, including a 20 per cent salary increase announced in 2023 and the provision of five Marcopolo buses for staff and student transportation.
The dispute now places the academic calendars and administrative operations of the four institutions under significant uncertainty. An indefinite shutdown could affect lectures, examinations, research, laboratory operations, student services, administrative processes and other activities dependent on the continued participation of university employees.
The unions called on students, parents and civil society organisations to hold the state government accountable for any disruption arising from the planned action.
Despite the declaration, JAC said the door remained open for a last-minute resolution if the state government intervened before the deadline.
“We remain open to immediate executive action before the midnight deadline tonight,” Bakare added, noting that only immediate intervention by Sanwo-Olu could prevent a complete shutdown across campus locations starting Saturday.
The planned strike therefore leaves the Lagos State Government with a narrow window to resolve the outstanding issues before the unions' ultimatum takes effect.