ASUU Strike: Again, NIC Moves Case

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike lawsuit, which the Federal Government filed to challenge, has been postponed until Monday, September 19, when the National Industrial Court will hear the Federal Government’s interlocutory application.

To allow the pupils to return to school, James Igwe, counsel for the Federal Government, urged the court to expedite the case’s hearing when the sitting was resumed on Friday.

Igwe informed the court that it would be appropriate to halt the strike pending the lawsuit’s outcome because the case was already before the court.

Femi Falana, the attorney for ASUU, contended that the subject was postponed to Friday for more discussion rather than a hearing. He claimed to have received service of the interlocutory injunction issued by the federal government.

Falana noted that in order to ensure that this ongoing problem is resolved, ASUU is now holding meetings with stakeholders. He urged the Federal Government to work with them to find a solution.

Justice Polycarp Hamman then postponed the case until Monday, January 19, 2022.

Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, claims that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) prolonged strike is the result of electing officials who are not dedicated to finding solutions to issues.

While it is agreed that the issue causing the strike is a cumulative one, according to him, appropriate dialogue should have been able to settle the conflict.

However, Governor Wike, a former minister of state for education, asked ASUU to rethink some requests because no administration could meet the union’s high demands for payment all at once given the current state of the economy.

On Thursday, Wike spoke as three bills were officially enacted at the Government House in Port Harcourt.