Appeal Court sitting in Abuja, On Wednesday, asked the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government to opt for an out-of-court settlement in handling the impasse between both parties.
Lifestyle Nigeria reports that ASUU has been on strike since February 14 over the federal government’s failure to meet its demands bordering on the funding of universities as well as salaries and allowances of lecturers.
Several meetings between ASUU and the federal government have ended in deadlock. The government dragged the union to the national industrial court to challenge the strike.
Justice Polycarp Hamman, on September 21, granted the federal government’s application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain ASUU from continuing with the strike.
The judge also ordered members of the union to resume work pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Following the judgment, ASUU filed an appeal through its legal team led by Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, premised on 14 grounds.
The union is, among other things, seeking the leave of the appellate court to file the appeal pursuant to section 243 of the constitution that requires a leave of court to appeal the judgment or ruling of the national industrial court (NIC).
ASUU is also seeking a stay of execution of the order of the court, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
At the court session on Wednesday, Georgewill Abraham, justice of the court of appeal, suggested that parties take 24 hours to dialogue and come up with a resolution that would make Nigerians happy.
The court fixed Thursday to hear ASUU’s motion seeking to stay execution of the industrial court’s judgment.