LAGOS — Three Lagos State-owned universities may be plunged into another round of industrial crisis as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Lagos Zone, has warned that the institutions could be shut down over the Lagos State Government’s failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement. The union, at a press conference on Thursday at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, LASUSTECH, accused the state government of neglecting lecturers’ welfare by refusing to implement the agreement six months after its signing, despite what it described as sustained engagements with government officials. The warning affects Lagos State University, LASU, Lagos State University of Education, LASUED, and Lagos State University of Science and Technology, LASUSTECH, with ASUU declaring its readiness to support any action taken by its branches in the three institutions to compel the government to honour the agreement. Addressing journalists, ASUU Lagos Zone Coordinator, Adesola Nassir, said the continued delay had left lecturers feeling “neglected, undervalued, and increasingly uncertain about the government’s commitment to their welfare.” He questioned the government’s position, saying: “How can a government demand world-class university rankings while failing to create world-class conditions for academic work? How can excellence flourish where welfare remains uncertain? How can innovation thrive amid recurring industrial tension?” The union argued that Lagos, which prides itself on being the “Centre of Excellence,” should not lag behind other states that have already begun implementing the agreement. “No government can legitimately claim excellence while the intellectual workforce responsible for producing excellence experiences prolonged uncertainty over agreed welfare commitments,” Nassir said. According to ASUU, the situation has already begun to affect staff morale and could ultimately result in declining academic standards, institutional instability and disruption of academic calendars. “Where staff begins to feel despondent, as is now the case at LASU, LASUSTECH and LASUED, management of the system becomes problematic and this triggers institutional decline… inclusive of staff apathy, ethical drift, reduced graduate quality and eventually disruption in academic calendar,” he stated. The union also expressed concern over unresolved internal disputes at LASU and LASUED, including the dismissal of ASUU officials and the alleged victimisation of its branch chairperson at LASUED. ASUU warned that the Lagos State Government would be responsible if the universities were forced to embark on industrial action. “Government, not ASUU, should be held responsible if all universities belonging to Lagos State are thrown into avoidable crises or totally shut down on account of poor response of the Government to the concerns of our members,” Nassir declared. The union urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene urgently by concluding discussions with ASUU branches in the affected universities and implementing the 2025 agreement without further delay to avert what it described as a “brewing unrest” across Lagos State-owned universities.
