ASUU Lagos Zone demands living wage, warns of possible strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos Zone, has called on the Federal Government to pay its members a living wage instead of a minimum wage.

The Lagos Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Adesola Nassir, made this known during a press briefing at the union’s secretariat in the University of Lagos, shortly after members staged a peaceful protest to demand outstanding salaries.

Nassir argued that the existing minimum wage was grossly inadequate considering the harsh economic realities in the country. He revealed that despite several meetings with government agencies to push for the payment of promotion arrears spanning up to four years, as well as arrears of wage awards and palliatives, “no payment has been made to date.”

He warned that ASUU reserved the right to embark on a nationwide strike if the situation persisted, stressing that “whatever happens next, Nigerians should hold the government responsible, not ASUU.”

The union also accused the government of undermining university autonomy by releasing funds directly to individual staff instead of the institutions, which are supposed to manage their own finances.

Speaking on the newly introduced Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund, Nassir explained that what was initially intended to provide up to ₦10 million loans for academics’ research, health, and welfare had been converted into loans that remain largely inaccessible to ASUU members.

He maintained that ASUU would continue to resist policies that could entrench poverty among its members, affirming the union’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s university system.