By Ejiofor Toochi
Edited by Bababunmi Agbebi
Just when many believed the era of frequent university strikes in Nigeria was fading, a fresh industrial action at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has stirred uncertainty and revived memories of past disruptions.
The strike, declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) UNILAG chapter, began on March 11, 2026, after the union accused the university of paying what it described as “amputated salaries” for January and February.
A return to familiar fears
In recent years, Nigeria’s federal universities have been repeatedly disrupted by strikes over funding, welfare, and governance issues. The lengthy national ASUU strike in 2022, which kept students at home for several months, left lasting concerns about the reliability of the academic calendar.
Against that backdrop, the new dispute at UNILAG has revived anxieties.
Many students had hoped that agreements reached between the federal government and the lecturers’ union particularly those involving salary adjustments and allowances would mark the end of frequent disruptions.
Instead, the latest strike has raised a familiar question: aren’t the days of academic strikes in Nigeria’s universities over?
Hopes that strikes were ending
In December 2025, the Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU reached a renegotiated agreement introducing new allowances for professors and readers as part of efforts to prevent future strikes in public universities.
The agreement provides a Professorial Cadre Allowance of about ₦1.7 million annually for professors and ₦840,000 for readers, alongside a 40 per cent increase in the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA).
The deal was intended to address long-standing welfare concerns that often trigger industrial action in Nigeria’s university system. Officials said the agreement formed part of broader efforts to stabilise the university sector and avoid the recurring strikes that have disrupted academic calendars for years.
Because of this, many students hoped that the long cycle of disruptions might finally be easing.
What triggered the strike
According to the UNILAG ASUU chapter, the strike was triggered by what the union called incomplete salary payments.
In a communiqué issued after an emergency congress, the union said several components of lecturers’ earnings were either omitted or partially paid. These included allowances like the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA).
ASUU also claimed the discrepancies differed between the university’s campuses. At the Akoka campus, lecturers reportedly did not receive the Earned Academic Allowance, while those at the Idi-Araba campus allegedly missed both EAA and CATA payments.
The union directed its members to withdraw their services indefinitely until the outstanding payments are settled.
Who is responsible?
While the strike is taking place at UNILAG, the issue appears to be tied to a broader administrative and financial structure involving both the university and the federal government.
Salary payments for lecturers are typically processed through government-approved federal payroll systems. As a result, disputes over allowances and salary adjustments often involve multiple actors, including university management and federal authorities responsible for releasing or implementing the payments.
ASUU maintains that the university implemented the salary payments in a manner that excluded the agreed components.
What it means for students
UNILAG management has said academic activities, including the current examinations, will continue despite the dispute. Meanwhile, management has begun engaging with the leaders of ASUU to resolve the dispute.
For now, the strike serves as a reminder that, despite hopes for a more stable university system, unresolved issues in funding and administration can quickly derail academic activities for students in Nigeria’s federal universities.
