Our Issues With Federal Govt. Have Not Been Fully Addressed – ASUU Says
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has noted with regrets that the issues in dispute between it and the Federal Government have not been satisfactorily addressed.
ASUU NEC which called off its 8-month-old strike on Friday, said that as a law-abiding union and in deference to appeals by the President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and other well-meaning Nigerians, it resolved to suspend the strike embarked upon on February 14, 2022.
Towards this end, ASUU has directed all of its members to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, October 14, 2022.
These were contained in a press statement signed by the National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, who particularly commended the intervention of Hon. Gbajabiamila.
The NEC of ASUU which held an emergency meeting at the Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja, on Thursday, October 13, 2022, noted that the Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, took the striking lecturers to court.
ASUU further said; “The National Industrial Court, in its wisdom, gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit.
“Given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of our counsel, there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our union at the Court of Appeal.
“The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and ordered our union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.
“NEC noted the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside the government and the progress made so far,” it said.
