Tension is mounting at the Lagos State Deputy Governor?s Office in Alausa, Ikeja, as staff members of Lagos State University (LASU), under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), staged a protest over 23 months of unpaid allowances and the government?s failure to implement the national minimum wage.

The protesting workers, drawn from key unions including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), accused the state government of neglecting the welfare of university staff despite several promises and ongoing dialogue.

Union leaders expressed outrage over the non-payment of earned allowances for nearly two years, as well as the failure to implement the new minimum wage more than eight years after its national introduction.

They also lamented the sudden discontinuation of the N35,000 wage award, which was initially introduced as a palliative measure in response to economic reforms and inflation. The government had previously pledged to incorporate the award into a new salary structure aligned with the national minimum wage.

?We were assured that once the wage award ended, a new salary regime reflecting the national minimum wage would take effect. But today, that promise has been broken,? said one union representative during the protest.

Chanting solidarity songs and waving placards with messages such as ?Pay Our 23-Month Arrears Now!?, ?No More Broken Promises!?, and ?Minimum Wage is a Right, Not a Favour!?, the workers gathered peacefully outside the Deputy Governor?s Office to demand urgent action.

While the larger group remained outside, a delegation of union leaders was admitted into the Deputy Governor?s Office for a closed-door meeting with senior government officials aimed at addressing their concerns.

However, after a prolonged wait, one union leader who declined to be named emerged to address the crowd. His message was stern but measured.

?Deliberations are ongoing, but if our representatives do not return with a concrete and favourable outcome within a reasonable time, we may be forced to storm the Deputy Governor?s Office ourselves. We are not here to beg; we are here to demand our rights,? he declared.

The statement was met with thunderous chants of support, as the crowd grew increasingly restless and vowed to escalate their agitation if their demands were not met.

The Joint Action Committee warned that failure by the Lagos State Government to address the issues promptly and transparently could trigger a state-wide industrial action. They also questioned why LASU staff are being treated differently from their counterparts in other public institutions in the state.

?This is not just about money. It?s about justice, dignity, and respect for the academic community,? said another protester. ?We are tired of empty promises.?

As of the time of filing this report, the Lagos State Government had yet to issue an official statement on the protest. (New Telegraph)

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