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The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Lagos State Government to resolve the industrial dispute that has led to the total shutdown of state-owned universities.
In a statement on Monday, the NANS Joint Campus Council (JCC), Lagos State Axis, said it was deeply concerned over the closure of Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH), and Lagos State College of Medicine (LASUCOM).
The JCC Chairman, Comr. Quadri Odewunmi, said while the association recognises the right of staff unions to pursue legitimate demands, students should not continue to bear the consequences of a prolonged industrial action.
“The current situation is deeply concerning to us as students and primary stakeholders. It is unacceptable that students should remain uncertain about the continuity of their academic programmes because of an unresolved dispute,” the statement reads in part.
The students body therefore gave the Lagos State Government 48 hours from the date of the memorandum to engage the staff unions and restore normal academic activities.
“If, at the expiration of this 48-hour ultimatum, the issues remain unresolved and our universities remain under total shutdown, the Lagos State student community will be left with no other option than to commence appropriate, peaceful and lawful mass action,” Odewunmi warned.
The ultimatum was endorsed by the national leadership of NANS.
In a separate statement, the NANS National Secretariat, through its Secretary General, Comrade Oladimeji Uthman, said it has taken due cognisance of the Lagos JCC position and expressed full solidarity.
“The National Secretariat hereby expresses its full solidarity and institutional support for the Lagos JCC and its call for the immediate resolution of the lingering dispute,” Uthman said.
The national body called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, management of the affected institutions and the staff unions to demonstrate maturity and return to constructive negotiations.
“The patience of the Lagos State students should not be misconstrued as weakness, nor should their continued commitment to peaceful engagement be taken for granted,” the national secretariat said.
Checks by Daily Sun show that academic and administrative activities across the four institutions have been grounded since midnight of October 2, following an indefinite strike declared by the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising 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).
JAC Chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Bakare, said the strike followed the failure of the Lagos State Government to implement agreements reached on August 31, 2026, on improved allowances, including 40 per cent Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), and 10 per cent Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) for academic staff, and 35 per cent Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Non-Teaching Staff Allowance (CONTTA), and hazard allowance for non-teaching staff.
The unions said the new rates were expected to take effect with August or September salaries alongside arrears from January, but September salaries were paid without the adjustments.
ASUU had earlier on September 15 declared a separate indefinite strike across LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH over non-domestication of the December 2025 Federal Government/ASUU agreement.
