ASUU

ASUU STRIKE: VC’s CONFUSED AS FG ORDER RESUMPTION

Published

1 year ago

September 26, 2022

The Federal Government of Nigeria on Friday directed the management of all federal universities to comply with the order of the National Industrial Court (NIC) directing the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) turn to classrooms pending the determination of the substantive matter before it.

The government asked the pro-chancellors and vice-chancellors to ensure that the striking lecturers resume and commence lectures immediately.

The new directive, which was contained in a letter addressed to the universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC), seems to have ignored the stay of execution application filed at the appeal court against the NIC order by the lecturers’ union.

But the management of the various universities is currently unsure of how to execute the new directive by the government.

Some of the members of the different managements of some universities who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said they were worried based on the judicial interpretation of the current status of the pending case at the courtG’s directive.

Along with NUC’s letter dated 23rd September and signed by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Sam Onazi, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Abubakar Rasheed, is the attached enrolment order of the NJC.
tha NUC and the universities be directed to “immediately re-open all the universities, recall the students of the various Universities, ensure that ASUU members immediately resume/commence lectures, restore the daily activities and routines of the various University campuses.”

The letter by the labour and employment ministry was dated 22nd September and referenced NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/135.

In response to Mr Ngige’s letter, Mr Adamu, through his ministry’s Director of Human Resource Management, David Gende, told the NUC to carry out the instruction.

Universities confused

Meanwhile, the management of the various universities contacted by this newspaper on Monday was either unsure of what step to do or was unaware of the development as of the time their reactions were sought.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Sulaiman Bilbis, said his school was yet to make a decision on the matter.

Mr Bilbis in a telephone interview with a PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter on Monday said the management of the institution would have to meet before any decision would be made.

But the spokespersons for Bayero University Kano (BUK), and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Lamara Garba and Abiodun Olarewaju respQosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.

ASUU

NLC, TUC, ASUU, Others Defy Court Order As They Begin Strike

Published

3 weeks ago

November 14, 2023

Pamilerin Fedpolygist

The NLC had on Monday announced the commencement of the industrial action from midnight of Monday, 13 November, in defiance to a restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Friday.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and its affiliates including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Tuesday, began a nationwide strike, in defiance to a restraining court order barring them from embarking on the industrial action.

The two major labour unions, NLC and TUC, had declared the strike, following the brutalisation of the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, in Imo State on 1 November. Mr Ajaero was attacked in Owerri, the state capital, during an NLC protest against the Imo State government over alleged maltreatment of workers in the state.

The unions on Monday directed their members to down tools across the country as from Tuesday.

This is despite the restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court, in Abuja, on Friday, stopping the labour unions from embarking on the strike. The judge, Benedict Kanyip, ordered the two major labour unions to stop their industrial action scheduled to commence 14 November.

The interim order followed an ex-parte request by the Nigerian government through the office of Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, due to the Labour unions’ threat to embark on strike.

Ignoring the court order, ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor of soil science, on Monday, directed compliance with the strike declaration in a letter to ASUU zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons across the country.

“As an affiliate of NLC, all members of our union are hereby directed to join this action of NLC to protect the interest of Nigerian workers and the leadership of the union. Zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons should immediately mobilise our members to participate in the action,” ASUU President, Mr Osodeke, wrote in a letter to zonal and branch chairpersons of the union.

When PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Osodeke if he was aware of the subsisting court order stopping the strike, he said the question should be directed to the NLC which called for the strike.

“Call the NLC, ASUU did not declare a strike, NLC declared the strike. Call NLC,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning.

But the NLC’s head of information, Benson Upah, did not respond to phone calls and messages sent to his line requesting for comments, as of the time of filing this report.

The labour unions had, on Monday, refused to acknowledge the court order while directing their members to withdraw their services as from Tuesday.

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