There are strong indications from the public universities that the judgment of the Appellant Court, Abuja Division, ordering the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume work may not be effective.
Fillers from the universities’ lecturers revealed that the striking lecturers are already strategizing on the legitimate and moral ways of frustrating the court judgment, which according to them is of nullity.
A lecturer said, “The court is more concerned with obeying the court order even if it will lead to death. How can lecturers who have not collected salaries for almost eight months go back to work? The lecturers who are hungry, whose children have been sent out of school because their parents can no longer afford school fees, the lecturers who now survive on loans and alms will go back to work and do what? Even if we go back, do you think any of us is ready to teach anybody? The Appellant court only gives sick and political judgment, which in practical terms was dead on arrival”.
Another lecturer said, “Will I fly to school because I do not have money to either buy fuel in my car or to board a bus to school? I can assure you that no student will get the desired attention from their lecturers.”
It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal, earlier today ordered ASUU to resume work immediately.
It equally granted leave to ASUU to appeal the interlocutory injunction of Justice Polycarp Hamman of the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria on September 21, 2022.
The court presided over by Justice Hamma Barka, warned that if ASUU failed to comply with the court order, it automatically loses the right to appeal against the ruling of the lower court.
In his reaction, ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke said that the Union would review the judgement of the Appellant Court to determine its next line of action.
According to National Daily News, Osodeke noted that after receiving the judgement, the Union would go through it with its lawyer and decide on its next line of action.
He said, “We have not received the ruling. When we get it, we will review it with our lawyer and then we can take the next step.”
