Strike: ASUU cautions government against forcing lecturers back to work via court order

*The Academic Staff Union of Universities cautions the Nigerian Government against using the court to force the lecturers currently on strike to back to class and teach against their will

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has cautioned the Federal Government against forcing striking members of the union back to class via court orders.

The Federal Government dragged ASUU to the Nigerian Industrial Court over the lingering strike with the ruling date set for Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

When speaking Tuesday, September 20 with the Federal Government through the leadership of the House of Representatives, however, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, President of ASUU, wondered what manner of teaching members will dish out if forced back to the classroom by a court order, report said.

Prof. Osodeke stated: “We are meeting with the Ministry of Education and the committee of Pro Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors, and others.

“As we are doing this, the same Ministry of Labour ran to court,” he said during the meeting convened by Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the National Assembly (NASS).

Osodeke noted: “If the courts force the lecturers to go work tomorrow (Wednesday), which type of teaching will they do?

“If the courts force the Nigerian academics to go and teach against their will, just like a court forcing a doctor to treat a patient against his will, how many of us will go to that doctor?”

The ASUU President further lamented “this is the 7th month this strike is on. We have never been called to a formal meeting by the Minister of Education.

“No formal meeting. No one. We were only called to a meeting twice by the minister of labour, 27 of February and March 1.

“Between then and now, we have not been called to a formal meeting. I used the word ‘formal’.”

He said: “I challenge the Minister of Education to show that he had called for any formal meeting.

“I can assure you that in the next 10 years, our public universities will be like public primary and secondary schools.”

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