UNILAG ASUU Begins Indefinite Strike Over ‘Amputated’ Salaries

T The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos chapter, has declared an indefinite strike over what it described as “amputated” salaries paid to its members for January and February 2026.

The decision was announced in a communiqué issued after an emergency congress of the union held on Tuesday. The communiqué was signed by the chapter’s chairperson, Idou Kehinde, and secretary, Adesina Arikawe.

According to the union, the strike will commence on Wednesday, March 11, and will continue until the university management pays the outstanding portions of the affected salaries.

ASUU said the decision followed what it described as “extensive and exhaustive deliberations” on the partial payments made to academic staff in the past two months.

The union alleged that the university management selectively paid reduced salaries in January, noting that staff on the Akoka campus did not receive the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), while those at the Idi-Araba campus were denied both the EAA and the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA).

“The university discriminately paid amputated salary in January 2026 to all members. At the Akoka Campus there was no EAA payment, while at the Idi-Araba Campus there were no EAA and CATA payments. The university also unilaterally paid amputated February 2026 salaries to all our members,” the communiqué stated.

The union condemned the salary deductions, describing the action as unjust and unacceptable, and urged its members to withdraw their services until the issue is fully resolved.

ASUU further noted that the industrial action was in line with a subsisting resolution of its National Executive Council meeting held on May 8, 2025, which mandates branches to take action when members’ salaries are withheld or reduced.

“Congress unanimously resolved to reject in its entirety the recent action that resulted in our members receiving amputated salaries for January and February 2026, and to withdraw services effective Wednesday, March 11, 2026, until the university pays the salaries in full,” the union stated.

The development comes months after the Federal Government approved a new remuneration structure for university lecturers, effective January 1, 2026. The agreement included a 40 percent upward review of academic staff salaries under the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS), alongside the introduction of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA).

The arrangement also retained and revised the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), which covers academic responsibilities such as postgraduate supervision, excess workload and examination duties.

The policy was designed to improve the welfare of lecturers, address brain drain in the university system and prevent prolonged industrial disputes in Nigeria’s public universities.

However, implementation challenges have reportedly emerged in some institutions, with delays and inconsistencies in the payment of the new allowances.