ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Federal Government of Nigeria has asked the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to cease from acting in disobedience to the interlocutory injunction given by the National Industrial Court (NICN), which restrained the union from further action.
This is as the industrial strike embarked by the union has entered its eighth month.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, gave the warning in a statement signed over the weekend by the Ministry’s Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Olajide Oshundun.
The ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke had said its members were not bound by the Industrial Court order to resume work since the union had appealed against the ruling and was awaiting hearing on the request for stay of execution from the court.
Ngige, however, said that ASUU should stop taking laws into its hands by directing its members to continue with the 8-month old strike.
According to Ngige, a new directive by the union, exhorting its members to continue with the industrial action was lawless, stressing that the government frowns at it
The Senator also warned that the union risks consequences of contempt of court order.
The statement reads in part: “The union is dishonest and misleading its members and the general public that it has filed an appeal as well as a stay of execution of the order of National Industrial Court on September 21, 2022, though it has none of this.
“Rather, ASUU only filed an application for a permission to appeal the order.
“It also attached to the application, a proposed notice of appeal which it intends to file if the leave to appeal is granted. The application for a stay of execution as of this moment has not even been listed for hearing. Where then is ASUU coming from?
“It is, therefore, contemptuous, dishonest and misleading for the union to tell its members that it has not only appealed the interlocutory injunction by the National Industrial Court, directing it to call off strike and return to work, but that it also has a stay of execution.”