Unilorin 49: FG Pledges To Abide By Supreme Court Verdict - Urges ASUU To Shelve Strike

Clement Idoko, Abuja - 03.05.2008

THE Federal Government on Friday pledged to abide by the Supreme Court judgement on the sacked 49 lecturers of the University of Ilorin which had generated much controversy in the nation’s university system.

Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachuku, who made this remark at the commissioning of the first phase of projects completed at the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, and formal movement of the university to its permanent site, said the present administration had vowed to defend the constitution of the country and allow the rule of law to take its course.

He said already, the case in contention was already at the Supreme Court and that the Federal Government had insisted that it was “determined to obey every court decision and protect the security of every arm of government. He, therefore, called on ASUU to shelve strike and exercise retraints, while awaiting the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict.

But the National President of ASUU, Dr. Abudullahi Sule-Kano had, while declaring the warning strike on Monday, lamented that “the Federal Government, from all indications, was not ready to fulfill its promise to reinstate the 49 lecturers who were sacked in 2001 despite appeals from ASUU and well-meaning Nigerians in the last seven years.”

Aja-Nwachuku added that “when we say the government is committed to the rule of law, from the president to the smallest person in this administration, we have all vowed and taken an oath to defend our constitution to the extent of any clause and we are calling on the ASUU to exercise some restraints and allow the Supreme Court to come out with a verdict, and whatever verdict it comes out with, we must obey, government must obey”.