UNILAG ASUU Suspends Strike After Administration Pledges To Resolve Allowance Issues
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its strike, just hours after it began on Wednesday.
The decision followed meetings between lecturers and the university administration, led by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services) Prof. Foluso Lesi, and a subsequent resolution reached at the union’s congress later in the day.
The strike had been declared on Tuesday, with the UNILAG ASUU branch directing lecturers to withdraw their services from Wednesday over unpaid allowances for January and February 2026. The union cited non-payment of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for Research in January, as well as unpaid CATA and professorial allowances in February.
Speaking to journalists, ASUU UNILAG chairman Prof. Idou Keinde said the union decided to suspend the industrial action in response to the administration’s commitment to address the lecturers’ grievances within 48 hours.
Keinde explained that discussions focused on aligning positions regarding Earned Academic Allowances and professorial allowances for excess workload. He also noted that the administration requested a formal paper detailing the union’s stance based on the Federal Government/ASUU 2025 agreement—a request he described as unusual—but confirmed that the union provided the document.
“We met with the administration, they made some promises and said they would act in the next 48 hours. ASUU is a union of intellectuals and principles. We are always procedural in whatever we do. We cannot ignore their submissions,” he said.
He added, “As far as they have invited us, we have to listen. We took what they offered in good faith. The issue is our allowances. They only addressed one aspect out of three and overlooked the rest. Even the one they considered, the Earned Allowance, was incomplete, and we drew their attention to it.
“They asked us to provide a paper on a signed agreement, which they already have. We submitted a paper showing that the correct Earned Allowance for excess workload was not paid each month. That issue has been resolved, and the administration promised to act within 48 hours.”
The suspension of the strike offers temporary relief to students and staff, with the union and university administration expected to continue working on resolving the allowance disputes promptly.
