The University of Lagos has restored its Students’ Union Government after a nine-year suspension, holding elections on Friday to usher in new student leadership for the 2025/2026 academic session, ending one of the longest bans on student unionism at any major Nigerian university.

The election produced a new Students’ Union President and General Secretary as part of the transition process toward the full restoration of the union. It was coordinated by the Directorate of Student Affairs, led by Dean Professor Johnson Agunsoye, and took place at the Common Room of Moremi Hall on the university campus. The officers were elected from among the current set of faculty presidents in line with guidelines established for the transition process.

Agunsoye stated that the exercise fulfilled a promise made by Vice-Chancellor Folasade Ogunsola to facilitate the return of the Students’ Union, adding: “The restoration of the union is intended not only to provide a platform for the student population to express their views, but also to prepare students for leadership responsibilities and encourage them to become solution-driven leaders.”

The Students’ Union Government at UNILAG had been suspended since April 24, 2016, when the university senate dissolved the union and indefinitely suspended its constitution following student protests that disrupted academic activities and threatened peace on campus. The decision drew sharp criticism from student groups and the National Association of Nigerian Students, who accused the university authorities of suppressing students’ voices and staged protests against the rustication of student leaders who had demonstrated over poor electricity and water supply on campus.

Vice-Chancellor Ogunsola had signalled as recently as February 2026 that the revived union would operate under a centralised structure with clear regulations and institutional oversight, aimed at fostering unity, reducing fragmentation, and rebuilding trust between students and university management.

Friday’s election is widely regarded as one of the most significant milestones in UNILAG’s recent institutional history, and students across the campus expressed cautious optimism that the restored union would give them a meaningful voice in university affairs.