The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its industrial action at three Lagos State-owned universities, paving the way for lecturers to return to classrooms following negotiations over staff welfare and outstanding agreements.

The affected institutions are Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED) and Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).

The union announced the decision on Friday, October 9, 2026, in a joint statement signed by Olusegun Babalola, Coordinator of the ASUU-LASU Steering Committee; Grace Abimbola, Acting Chairperson of ASUU-LASUED; and Murisiku Onigemo, Chairman of ASUU-LASUTECH.

The suspension brings a pause to the industrial action that disrupted academic activities across the three institutions after disagreements with the Lagos State Government over the implementation of outstanding staff welfare provisions and aspects of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

ASUU had declared an indefinite strike in September after a 14-day ultimatum to the state government expired without what the union considered a satisfactory resolution. Its demands included the implementation of agreed allowances and other provisions affecting serving and retired academic staff.

In announcing the suspension, the union leaders expressed appreciation to media organisations, civil society groups, traditional rulers, students, parents and other stakeholders who supported their campaign and helped draw attention to the lecturers’ concerns.

They specifically acknowledged the contributions of pro-worker organisations, including the Joint Action Front, Education Rights Concern and Campaign for Democratic Workers Rights, for their advocacy on workers’ welfare and the protection of public tertiary education.

The union also commended traditional rulers for their interventions and thanked students and parents for their patience throughout the disruption.

According to the statement, the suspension represents progress in the union’s efforts to secure better working conditions and ensure that outstanding academic agreements are implemented.

The lecturers are expected to return to their academic responsibilities, while ASUU continues discussions with the Lagos State Government on issues that remain unresolved.

In a separate resolution reported by the LASUED chapter, the union acknowledged the state government’s approval of certain allowances, including the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and professorial allowances. However, it said further discussions were still needed on other provisions, including benefits for retired professors and the proposed Lagos Factor Allowance. The chapter announced that academic activities at LASUED would resume on Monday, October 12.

The remaining discussions mean the suspension should not be interpreted as confirmation that every outstanding demand has been fully resolved. Rather, the union has agreed to resume academic activities while continuing to pursue the outstanding matters through engagement with the state government.

The development is expected to ease concerns among students and parents who faced uncertainty over lecture schedules and the possible disruption of academic calendars.

For the three universities, the immediate priority will be restoring normal academic activities while ensuring that the negotiations produce lasting solutions to the disagreements that led to the strike.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia