Olugbenga Owolabi
When President Bola Tinubu assumed duties on May 29, 2023, he didn’t waste time to start his Renewed Hope Agenda. Immediately, on the primary day, he started his reform programme from oil subsidy elimination, and subsequently, the economic system, financial coverage, safety rejig and later, schooling reform. While trying to strengthen the schooling reform, the federal authorities by way of the Ministry of Education realised the crucial want of sealing the 2025 labour settlement it had with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). As a part of the Renewed Hope Agenda for Nigerian universities, he considered repositioning the general public college system and entrench lasting industrial concord within the schooling sector.
To rejoice the historic milestone, key stakeholders from the manager, legislature, labour, NUC, TETFund and the tutorial neighborhood on the federal have been introduced collectively as witnesses to nationwide dedication to dialogue, stability, and sustainable growth in increased schooling in Nigeria. While talking on the occasion, the Minster of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa emphasised that the settlement as a sensible demonstration of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda would lay a stable basis towards recurring strikes and extended educational disruptions. A key part of the settlement is the 40 per cent upward overview of the emoluments of college educational employees, with impact from January 1, 2026. After the sealing of the settlement, the FG and ASUU issued a communique and so they urged all of the state governments to totally embrace and cultivate the contents of their respective states. Without losing time in any respect, among the state governments corresponding to Abia, Ekiti, Osun and Enugu have responded promptly by implementing the settlement of their universities.
It is nevertheless a tragic irony that Lagos State that usually presents itself because the Centre of Excellence and a supposed customary template of fine governance system in Nigeria is now turning into a nasty instance of how not to implement a forward-looking coverage and renewed partnership between authorities and academia.
Almost 9 months after the settlement had been signed between federal authorities and ASUU, and different financially less-buoyant states have began paying the brand new salaries to their college staff, it’s essentially troubling that Lagos State has continued to exhibit its unwillingness to pay the brand new wage construction. Going by the governor’s undignified eight month silence in regards to the concern and his open declaration on the final Lagos State University Convocation ceremony in August that the approaching administration will see to the welfare of the lecturers, there isn’t a different interpretation to that outburst than a transparent sabotage and a direct try at undermining Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda particularly, because it impacts rescuing public college schooling.
Governor Sanwo-Olu can’t convincingly declare its authorities lacks monetary energy to pay the invoice. Just throughout the week, Lagos State was reported to have generated N1.77 trillion in Internally Generated Income (IGR) in 2025, accounting for greater than a 3rd of the mixed income generated by 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Before Sanwo-Olu grew to become the governor of the state, Lagos State University lecturers have been incomes greater than University of Lagos employees due to ‘Lagos factor’. Why is he now dragging the state backward?
What then is the Lagos State’s logic for not paying? Whatever it’s, whether it is to lower your expenses, it’s a doubtful economic system, whether it is to assert state autonomy over Tinubu’s agreements, it’s autonomy misapplied. This is only a repeat of what occurred in Osun State through the regimes of Aregbesola and Oyetola that laid the inspiration of All Progressive Congress (APC) dropping Osun State to PDP.
Let Sanwo-Olu and the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat perceive that they and the occasion they symbolize could pay the excessive value of their underestimating the offended lecturers, extra so, three universities’ lecturers put collectively. That was the identical manner Oyetola underestimated the civil servants in Osun State whereas going for election. The results of that election has now turn into a part of historical past. The governor might imagine he’s not contesting within the subsequent election and could also be prepared to rattling the consequence however then, is it correct for him to undermine the possibilities of the occasion that offered the platform for him to serve in Lagos State? Is it additionally applicable for him to weaken APC’s probability to win Lagos within the coming election?
It is vital to notice that final 12 months, Lagos state Government wished to set up one other college to be the fourth one. The pertinent query is: does the state authorities have the capability to successfully run 4 public universities? Does Governor Sanwo-Olu assume the working of a college is like secondary college? Available evidences in regards to the current three universities in Lagos present that all of them wrestle to survive. Forget all of the social media ranking. LASU particularly lacks most elementary facilities that would improve productive studying. As a results of lack of school rooms, college students who registered for bodily class have been pressured to migrate to on-line class but, there isn’t a practical web anyplace within the college. Besides, there are scarcity of educational employees and customary laboratories to educate some programs. Is this how to run universities that can compete with others globally?
The fact is, if Lagos State, the political base of President Tinubu stays adamant to implement a federally initiated coverage that revalues lecturing, it portends a harmful precedent and an unenviable mannequin for different struggling states. The consequence, little question will be grave as your complete coverage dangers flopping and a potential revert to pre-Tinubu period when faculties have been mindlessly closed for a complete session. Imagine if the over 70,000 college students throughout the three universities are indefinitely thrown into the streets of a state battling cultism, youth employment, prostitution, drug dependancy, and cybercrime, idleness will then breed lives into the criminality already bedeviling the society.
The Lagos State authorities, the House of Assembly and the governing councils of every of the schools should learn the temper of the nation, Nigerian lecturers will not be begging for charity, they’re solely asking for dignity in service.
Now, the governor ought to have a rethink and act like an astute chief he desires Lagosians to understand him. He ought to shortly instruct his appointed officers to start the method of full implementation of the FGN/ASUU 2025 settlement throughout the three state-owned universities and make sure the fee of arrears from January 1, 2026. Governor Sanwo-Olu can’t justifiably declare to be constructing bridges and flyovers that lead to nowhere on the expense of ravenous lecturers.
Until constructive motion is taken on this vital concern, posterity won’t neglect the governor for standing towards the federal authorities’s try to rescue college schooling by way of a brand new wage coverage.
. Owolabi lives in Lagos
