The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has suspended its industrial action shortly after declaring the strike, giving the university management a 48-hour deadline to resolve issues surrounding unpaid and incomplete salaries owed to lecturers.
The strike, which briefly disrupted academic activities at the institution, was triggered by allegations from the union that lecturers received what it described as “amputated salaries” for January and February 2026, with several key allowances either omitted or only partially paid.
The chairman of the UNILAG chapter of ASUU, Idou Keinde, confirmed that the union decided to temporarily suspend the industrial action following discussions with the university administration. According to him, the management requested additional time to address the concerns raised by the lecturers and pledged to resolve the issues within two days.
Speaking after a meeting between the union leadership and university authorities, Keinde explained that ASUU members agreed to suspend the strike in order to allow the management an opportunity to correct the salary discrepancies and settle outstanding allowances.
The dispute centres on several components of lecturers’ remuneration, which the union claims were either excluded from salary payments or inadequately implemented. These include the Earned Academic Allowance, the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance for research, the Consolidated Academic Teaching Allowance, and other entitlements linked to academic workload and professional responsibilities.
According to the union, some of these allowances were not included in the January salary payments, while others were either omitted or only partially reflected in the February payroll.
ASUU argued that the incomplete salary payments violate the revised remuneration structure earlier agreed upon between lecturers and the Federal Government as part of broader efforts to address longstanding issues affecting the welfare of university staff.
During negotiations, the university management reportedly requested that the union provide documentary evidence from the salary framework contained in the 2025 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government, which introduced updated allowances and improved salary components for academic staff.
Despite the tension surrounding the dispute, ASUU said the decision to suspend the strike was taken in the interest of students and the wider academic community.
Keinde emphasised that the union did not want students to suffer unnecessary disruption to their academic programmes, particularly as many of them are currently writing examinations or preparing for other important academic activities.
He noted that lecturers chose to give the university administration a chance to address the issues within the 48-hour window while academic activities continue.
Earlier, the UNILAG management had criticised the union’s decision to embark on strike, arguing that proper procedures were not followed before the industrial action was declared.
University authorities, however, acknowledged that discussions with the union were ongoing and expressed confidence that the issues would be resolved through dialogue.
The management also assured students and the university community that ongoing examinations and other academic activities would continue as scheduled, although adjustments could be made where necessary.
With the strike now suspended, attention has shifted to the university administration, which has been given two days to correct the salary anomalies and settle the outstanding allowances demanded by lecturers.
ASUU leaders have indicated that the union will closely monitor developments within the stipulated period and will determine its next line of action depending on the outcome of the discussions.
For now, normal academic activities have resumed at the University of Lagos as lecturers await concrete steps from the management to resolve the salary dispute and prevent a possible resumption of the strike.
