FG loses bid to stop ASUU strike

Lanre Adewole, Abuja - 26.02.2008

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday turned down Federal Government’s request to stop a strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The strike, which was predicated on the demand for the reinstatement of 49 lecturers of University of Ilorin sacked in 2001, is billed to start today.

Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako threw out an ex-parte application brought by the government, saying that there was no urgency which required temporary stoppage of the strike.

In government’s ex-parte application filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and argued by a lawyer from the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. C.I Mbamali, the court was asked to restrain ASUU from embarking on the strike, pending the determination of the substantive suit challenging the action.

In the government’s originating summon, the court is being asked to hold that ASUU cannot take any step on the strike, while an appeal on the same matter is still before the Supreme Court.

The government is contending that no parties in the industrial dispute can do anything on it until the appeal before the apex court is determined.

While ruling on government’s application, Justice Nyako held that since the warning strike had come and gone, no urgency could be said to be involved in the matter as argued by counsel to the applicant.