ASUU “conditionally” calls off 8-month-old strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its eight-month-old strike conditionally.

A former President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi disclosed this in an interview with our reporter in Abuja on Friday.

“The union will issue a statement to that effect as soon as possible,” he said

He said union decided to suspend the strike during a meeting of its leadership that started on Thursday night and lasted into the early hours of Friday.

The meeting was called by the union to determine its next line of action after its state branches met over the Court of Appeal ruling on Oct. 7.

Also, the Chairman of ASUU in the University of Abuja, Prof. Kasim Umar confirmed the suspension.

He said the National ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke will brief newsmen.

The Court of Appeal had ordered ASUU to suspend the strike before its appeal of the ruling ordering lecturers to resume work can be heard.

Members of the union’s National Executive Committee, which comprises the chairmen of the state chapters and members of the national executive, attended the meeting at the ASUU National Secretariat in Abuja.

Our correspondent reports that ASUU began the strike on Feb. 14, 2022

It was reported that appellate court, in a ruling delivered by a three-man panel led by Justice Hamma Barka, stressed that it would not entertain any appeal from ASUU, until it obeyed the order of the National Industrial Court, NIC.

It, however, granted the aggrieved varsity lecturers the leave to proceed with the 14 grounds of appeal they earlier filed to set-aside the interlocutory injunction the NIC gave in favour of the Federal Government.

It was reported that the Industrial Court on Sept. 21, ordered ASUU to call off the strike action in national interest and for the sake of undergraduates in the country.

It ordered the striking lecturers to return to the classroom, pending the determination of a suit FG filed to query the legality of their strike action.

In a judgement on the Federal Government’s interlocutory injunction, Justice Polycarp Hamman stopped ASUU from continuing with the strike until the case was resolved.

Justice Polycap, who was on vacation, issued an order directing the Industrial Court president to reassign the case to a different judge.