Industrial Court Fix September 19 To Hear FG suit Against ASUU
National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja has fixed Monday for the hearing of a suit filed by the Nigerian government against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the union’s ongoing strike.
The judge, H.I Hamman, adjourned the suit on Friday after hearing both parties’ comments.
The judge had earlier on Monday, ordered the federal government and ASUU to file and exchange their written submissions and fixed today, Friday, for a further mention of the case.
However, at Friday’s proceedings, the Nigerian government’s lawyer, James Igwe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), appealed to the court to immediately go on with the hearing of the suit as it is a “matter of national interest.”
He had filed an interlocutory application seeking an order to restrain ASUU from continuing with its ongoing strike “pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
But the counsel for ASUU, Femi Falana, another SAN, objected to the court hearing on the grounds that the case suit was only scheduled for today, Friday, for mention and not hearing.
The judge, therefore, adjourned the hearing for the interlocutory injunction until Monday, 19 September.
Earlier, the lawyer to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, also a SAN, urged the judge to hear his client’s application to be joined as a second defendant in the case filed against ASUU by the Nigerian government.
Mr. Adegboruwa, therefore, asked the court to strike out its earlier suit on the same issue of strike and allow it to be joined in the federal government’s suit.
The ASUU’s referenced suit filed on 12 September sought to compel the federal government to honour its agreements with the union.
Related: Strike: Industrial Court To Decide On FG Suit Against ASUU September 16
The government’s counsel, Mr. Igwe, objected to the application for the hearing of the ASUU’s application to be joined as a party in the newer suit, saying he was only served with the application around 5 p.m. on Thursday.
The judge, H.I Hamman, granted the application to strike out the earlier suit and adjourned SERAP’s application to be joined with ASUU as a defendant in the federal government’s suit to next Friday.