ASUU/FG Case Adjourned
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria on Monday has adjourned the suit filed by the FG against ASUU to 16th Sept, 2022.
The presiding judge had declared that he was only presiding over the matter as a vacation judge and that the case would be assigned to another judge for adjudication.
The session which held on Monday at Abuja also had the appearance of SERAP’s lawyer, (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) Ebun-Olu Adegnoruwa (SAN) who said his client had filed a similar suit to impel the Federal Government to honour its 2009 agreement with the striking lecturers.
The suit filed by the Federal Government against ASUU over their seven months strike was contained in a statement by the Head, PRO at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun; indicating that the matter was referred to the registrar of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria by the Minister, Chris Ngige on Thursday 8 September.
However, in opposition to the suit, Counsel to the Federal Government, Tijjani Gazali (SAN) expressed that SERAP’s request to join in the matter was premature as the case was just mentioned on Monday. In alignment, the judge had said the suit is not ripe for consolidation by SERAP.
Counsel to ASUU, Femi Falana, however, argued that he was aware of the efforts by lawyers to file court papers in the suit on Monday. SERAP’s lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegnoruwa (SAN) said his client had filed a similar suit to compel the Federal Government to honour its 2009 agreement with the striking lecturers.
He said SERAP’s request to join in the matter is based on the need to forestall the duplicity of outcomes concerning the industrial dispute. However, counsel to the Federal Government, Tijjani Gazali (SAN) opposes SERAP’s application to consolidate the suits.
Speaking to press men outside the court, counsel to ASUU, human right lawyer and activist, Femi Falana, while speaking with press men berated the Federal Government for going to the court and also admonishing Federal Government to stop trying to blackmail ASUU, maintaining that university lecturers have not stopped working.
In addition, the counsel to the Federal Government, Tijanni Gazali, maintained that ASUU cannot dictate to the Federal Government what platform her members are to be paid. He said the agreement reached between the Federal Government and ASUU has been implemented and that details of their agreement will form part of the papers they will be filing before the court
The judge then ordered the two parties in the suit to file and exchange court documents as he adjourned the matter to Friday.
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