The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, would meet on Sunday (today) to decide their next line of action, following the ruling of the Appeal Court, ordering them to return to the classroom.
The Appeal Court had on Friday asked ASUU members to obey the ruling of the National Industrial Court which ordered the union to call off its ongoing strike while the substantive case is heard.
Recall that ASUU had on February 14, 2022, embarked on industrial action over the failure of the federal government to implement agreements reached with the union.
Following a deadlock in the negotiations to resolve the strike, the federal government dragged ASUU to the National Industrial Court on September 11.
In its ruling on September 24, the court ordered the university teachers to suspend its strike while negotiations continue to find a lasting solution.
ASUU however appealed the ruling but the Appeal court ruled that the union must obey the judgement of the industrial court.
Reacting to the development, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, on Friday said the union would review the court’s order and decide accordingly.
He said, “We have not received the ruling, when we get it, we will review it with our lawyer and then we can take the next step”.
Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, in his reaction when he appeared on Channels TV said labour controllers across the States of the federation are monitoring schools to ensure compliance with the Court of Appeal ruling.
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He said, “I have asked labour controllers in the states and the zones to go to the schools and see if the vice-chancellors have opened the gates.
“If they don’t, they will be charged for contempt.”
Meanwhile, a member of the union who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Saturday said that the National Executive Council of ASUU would be meeting today to review the Appeal Court judgement.
He said, “The Appeal Court ruling will be critically reviewed on Sunday and it is after that we will know the fate of Nigerian students who have been forced to stay at home for almost eight months due to the Federal Government’s negligence.
“Ngige and the Buhari government failed to understand that even if they force the union to resume work, they cannot force the lecturers to teach the Nigerian students whose future have been jeopardized”.
When contacted for comment, Osodeke simply responded, “we don’t advertise our meeting, it is private”.
Source: Dailypost
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