Medical and dental lecturers at the University of Lagos have commenced an indefinite strike, demanding full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for academics in the College of Medicine, including arrears from July 2024.
The
industrial action, declared by the National Association of Medical and Dental
Academics, was announced on Wednesday during a press conference held at the
Consultants Lounge of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
The
development comes as the Lagos Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities
accused both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government of failing
to fully implement key components of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, particularly
unpaid allowances, salary arrears and welfare entitlements affecting university
lecturers nationwide.
The
union said the non-payment and inconsistent implementation of agreed financial
provisions were deepening tension in the university system and worsening brain
drain across institutions.
Speaking
at a briefing in Lagos, the President of NAMDA-UNILAG, Prof Ugboro Omotayo,
said the strike became inevitable after prolonged efforts to engage the
university management failed to produce results.
Omotayo
accused the university of refusing to comply with the Federal Government
directive mandating the implementation of CONMESS for medical and dental
academics, despite its adoption by several other universities across the
country.
He
said the development had created salary distortions that were worsening the
shortage of qualified medical and dental lecturers in the institution.
They
also called for the payment of the Clinical Academic Teaching Allowance and the
introduction of a Professor Allowance for qualified academics.
Other
demands include “alignment with the corrected CONMESS structure and payment of
all outstanding arrears, proper placement of newly employed academics on
CONMESS instead of the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, and
reversal of what the association described as inappropriate designations such
as ‘Distinguished Consultants.”
The
union maintained that the continued use of CONUASS for medical and dental
academics contradicted the Federal Government’s approved remuneration structure
for clinical lecturers.
Earlier,
the association had, in a letter dated May 15, 2026, notified the Vice
Chancellor, UNILAG, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, of the commencement of industrial
action.
A
meeting held on Tuesday between the UNILAG management and the NAMDA failed to
stop the continuation of the strike, which officially commenced on Monday.
The
association said the decision to commence the strike followed “a breakdown of
negotiation, expiration of the ultimatum to management on May 14, 2026.”
According
to Omotayo, the industrial action was not aimed at demanding special treatment
or higher salaries but at ensuring fairness and compliance with established
government policy.
“This
strike is not about seeking higher pay but about equity, justice and adherence
to government policy,” Omotayo said.
Efforts
to obtain the reaction of the university management were unsuccessful as of the
time of filing this report.
ASUU
faults FG
At a
press conference held at UNILAG on Wednesday, where it reviewed the status of
implementation of the agreement across federal and state-owned universities in
the Lagos zone, ASUU said the implementation of the agreement had remained
inconsistent.
The
Lagos Zone covers the UNILAG, Lagos State University, Lagos State University of
Science and Technology, Lagos State University of Education, Olabisi Onabanjo
University, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and Tai Solarin
University of Education.
Reading
the union’s communique, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Adesola Nassir, decried
the inconsistency in the implementation of the agreement, especially in
relation to allowances and outstanding salary obligations owed to lecturers.
It
said that while the agreement was the outcome of nearly a decade of
renegotiation, government actions since its signing had fallen short of
expectations.
ASUU
said several key components of the agreement, including Consolidated Academic
Tool Allowances, Earned Academic Allowances and Professorial Allowances, had
not been fully mainstreamed into the Consolidated University Academic Staff
Salary Structure as agreed.
The
union, however, accused the government of implementing the agreement in a
fragmented and inconsistent manner.
It
listed the agitation to include, “payment of arrears of the 25-35 per cent
salary award, arrears of promotion, remittances of third-party deductions
(check-off dues, cooperative society deductions, pension contributions).”
Other
demands are salary shortfalls arising from IPPIS application, and the withheld
three-and-a-half months’ salaries occasioned by the 2022 industrial action of
ASUU.
“We
are perturbed that the government failed to take into consideration the
strength of each university to adequately cover the shortfall in the salary
component of recurrent cost. The consequence has been haphazard
implementation,” the union held.
The
union also questioned the government’s commitment to reimbursing universities
for funds spent in attempting to implement the agreement.
“We
are equally disturbed that the government’s attitude has not convinced the
system that it has the commitment and capacity to reimburse the universities
for the various amounts mobilised to ‘rescue the situation’,” it added.
ASUU
further listed a series of unresolved financial obligations, including arrears
of the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, third-party deductions,
pension remittances, salary shortfalls arising from IPPIS implementation, and
the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries from the 2022 industrial action.
“To
make deductions from salaries and fail to remit the same is fraudulent and
criminal, to say the least. To also refuse to pay staff for services already
rendered is oppressive and inimical to industrial harmony,” it held.
It
warned that continued neglect of these obligations was driving lecturers out of
the system and weakening Nigeria’s academic capacity.
“The
various fronts from which our membership is being oppressed cannot augur well
for occupational satisfaction and commitment to the university system,” the
union held.
“Government
must address these challenges now, otherwise the universities would continue to
bleed from loss of competent staff of all cadres to other academic climes.”
The
union specifically urged the Lagos State Government, led by Governor Babajide
Sanwo-Olu, to urgently implement the agreement across its three state
universities: Lagos State University, Lagos State University of Science and
Technology and Lagos State University of Education, warning that delay could
worsen industrial tension.
ASUU
said Lagos State, given its economic capacity, should not lag in implementing
agreements reached with academic staff unions.
“If
any state should be first to implement the agreement, and even enhance it, it
should be Lagos State for many obvious reasons,” the communique read.
The
union called for urgent resolution of lingering labour issues in Lagos
universities, including promotion bottlenecks at the University of Lagos and
unresolved disputes involving staff welfare.
ASUU
warned that failure to address unpaid allowances and arrears was accelerating
brain drain, with experienced academics leaving for better conditions abroad.
It
said the continued strain on lecturers’ welfare was undermining teaching
quality and threatening the stability of the university system.
The
union added that universities must be allowed to function without financial and
administrative pressure that compromises staff morale and productivity.
ASUU
urged both federal and state authorities to urgently address all outstanding
financial obligations, warning that continued delay could trigger fresh
industrial action.
“Our
membership is being oppressed by governments, federal and state. This cannot be
allowed to continue,” the union declared.
