UNILAG Medical Lecturers Begin Indefinite Strike Over CONMESS Disparity

Medical and dental lecturers at the University of Lagos have embarked on an indefinite strike to demand the full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for academics in the College of Medicine, including arrears dating back to July 2024.

The industrial action, called by the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics, was announced during a press conference at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

Speaking at the briefing, NAMDA-UNILAG President Prof. Ugboro Omotayo said the strike became unavoidable after several failed attempts to get the university management to comply with a Federal Government directive on CONMESS implementation. He noted that other universities across the country had already adopted the salary structure, leaving UNILAG with distortions that have worsened the shortage of qualified medical lecturers.

Among the union’s demands are the payment of Clinical Academic Teaching Allowance, introduction of a Professor Allowance for qualified academics, alignment with the corrected CONMESS structure with outstanding arrears, proper placement of newly employed academics on CONMESS instead of CONUASS, and reversal of what the association termed inappropriate designations such as “Distinguished Consultants.”

Omotayo stressed that the strike is not about seeking higher pay but about ensuring fairness and adherence to established government policy.

A letter dated May 15, 2026, had been sent to Vice Chancellor Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, notifying her of the planned action. A meeting on Tuesday between management and NAMDA failed to halt the strike, which officially commenced on Monday.

Efforts to get a reaction from the university management were unsuccessful as of press time.

ASUU Decries Inconsistent Implementation

Also speaking on Wednesday at UNILAG, the Lagos Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities accused both the Federal and Lagos State governments of failing to fully implement key components of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.

Zonal Coordinator Adesola Nassir said allowances such as Consolidated Academic Tool Allowances, Earned Academic Allowances and Professorial Allowances had not been fully mainstreamed into the CONUASS structure as agreed. He described the implementation as fragmented and inconsistent.

Other grievances include unpaid arrears of the 25–35 per cent salary award, promotion arrears, third-party deductions not remitted, pension contributions, salary shortfalls from IPPIS application, and the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries from the 2022 ASUU strike.

The union warned that continued neglect of these obligations is driving lecturers out of the system, worsening brain drain, and weakening the nation’s academic capacity.

ASUU specifically called on Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to urgently implement the agreement across the state’s three universities, arguing that given the state’s economic strength, it should lead rather than lag in implementation.

The union cautioned that unless immediate steps are taken, the fragile peace in Nigerian universities cannot be guaranteed.