By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE National Industrial Court has ordered the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to return to the classrooms with immediate effect.
Justice Polycarp Hamman, while delivering his ruling on Wednesday, restrained ASUU from continuing with the industrial action pending the determination of the suit.
Stonix News reports that the Federal Government had filed an interlocutory injunction against ASUU at the court last week after fruitless efforts to resolve the lingering crisis.
Justice Hamman, who is a vacation judge, ordered that the case filed should be returned to the president of the Industrial Court for reassignment to another judge.
He further held that the industrial action was detrimental to public university students who cannot afford to attend private tertiary institutions.
He said the Trade Dispute Act mandates workers not to embark on strike once an issue has been referred to the industrial court.
Justice Hamman also upheld the application of the Federal Government as having merit granted it.
The court, therefore, restrained “ASUU, whether by themselves, members, agents, privies or howsoever called, from taking further steps and doing any act in continuance of the strike action pending the hearing and determination of the suit filed.”
The judge, however, refused to fine the Federal Government as demanded by ASUU.
This order from the court is coming a few hours after the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) threatened to distrupt political campaigns across the country till students of public universities returned to classrooms.
Chairman, NANS National Taskforce, Ojo Olumide, announced this at a press conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday, some seven days to September 28, the official date for candidates to kick-off campaign as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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