Court Strikes Out Suit Against ASUU Strike
A lawsuit filed by Umar Lawal urging the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end its seven-month strike and return to classes was dismissed by the National Industrial Court in Abuja.
Lawal had filed the lawsuit on behalf of both the group and himself, claiming to be the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
However, Justice Polycarp Hamman dismissed the case on Tuesday after Lawal’s attorney, Debo Ikuesan, dropped it on the grounds that the students’ body was contesting his position as president and disproving his claim to be the head of NANS as he had testified.
Abubakar Marshal, the ASUU’s attorney, also let the court know that he is not contesting the request to have the lawsuit withdrawn.
In the lawsuit, a man named Umar Faruk—who claimed to be the president of NANS—asked the court to get an injunction compelling ASUU to end the strike that started in February 2022.
According to section 18 of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution as modified, he claimed that the strike impairs pupils’ right to an education. He continued by saying that Nigerian students have suffered losses due to the protracted strike, including wasted time and opportunities for furthering their studies and careers.
They are asking the court to issue an order, among other things, telling ASUU to end its strike.
Additionally, they ask the court to issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting ASUU and its members from continuing the industrial action they started.
Sunday Asefon, the departing president of the student body, had gone before the court and claimed that Umar Lawal lacked authority from NANS to start the lawsuit.
He claimed that Lawal ran for and lost the job of NANS national president.
Abubakar Marshal, the attorney for ASUU, did not protest when Faruk’s counsel asked for the case to be dismissed due to NANS’s opposition.
