The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has ordered members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) back to work.
ASUU’s lawyer Mr Femi Falana, SAN, has appealed the National Industrial and Arbitration Court order on September 22, 2022, asking ASUU to resume work immediately.
The appellate court gave the order in a ruling on an application by the ASUU seeking permission for it to appeal against the order of the National Industrial Court which asked the striking lecturers to resume duty.
The industrial court had on September 22, granted an interlocutory order following an application to that effect by the Federal Government, ordering university lecturers to return to work pending the resolution of their dispute with government.
Sunrise News recalls that ASUU through its counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, headed to the appellate court to seek redress.
Also read: JUST IN: Court orders ASUU to suspend 7-month old strike
At the Appeal Court, ASUU filed an application dated September 28, seeking the leave of court to file an appeal against the industrial court order.
But in its ruling, the Court of Appeal, which granted ASUU “conditional leave to appeal the order of the Industrial Court” insisted that ASUU must obey the order of the lower court with effect from today, October 7.
The 3-man panel led by Justice Hamman Barka, said for ASUU to file its notice of appeal within 7 days, it must show evidence that its members have resumed work October 7.
“Failure to adhere to the order, will make the appeal incompetent before Court of Appeal”, the panel unanimously held.
The lecturers had declared strike action on February 14, this year to press for the implementation of the 2009 agreement with the Federal Government.
Sunrise News recalled that the NIC had ordered the lecturers to resume work pending the resolutions of other grievances through negotiation with the Federal Government.
But ASUU leadership had stuck to their guns, insisting that there would be no return to work until all issues are resolved with the Federal Government.
They insisted the order would be appealed and that they may further appeal the pronouncement of the appeallate court of it goes against the sail of ASUU’s wind.
It is not yet clear whether ASUU would call its members back to work with immediate effect following the appeallate court’s order.
Sunrise News recalled that ASUU had ordered a strike action on February 14, forcing the students out of work for the last nine months.
It would be the second time in two years that the ASUU’s strike would drag into the ninth month, effectively ensuring that students lost two academic sessions to avoidable work disputes.
Sunrise News reports that that President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed disappointment at ASUU for failing to understand the government and sticking to their gun.
Buhari, during the presentation of the appropriation bill before the National Assembly on Friday insisted that the government will not sign an agreement which it would not be able to implement.