Newly registered Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) has appealed to striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to obey the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), asking its members to go back to work.
CONUA Chairman, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU) chapter, Abdulahi Isiaku, made the appeal, yesterday, while speaking with journalists at the premises of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
Isiaku, who led a team of CONUA officials to observe proceedings in the appeal filed by ASUU, challenging the interlocutory injunction by NICN, said although their members did not join the strike, they were locked out of the system because their sister union embarked on strike.
The union leader regretted that they were not being paid salaries because of the understanding that ASUU represented all academic staff.
He restated that CONUA does not subscribe to the method adopted by ASUU in tackling the problems bedevilling the university system in Nigeria, adding that incessant strikes could be counter-productive and detrimental to the development of university education in the country.
He said:”We are monitoring the case in court and we are interested in its outcome. But as you know, we are not members of ASUU and we have not been on strike all this while. Our members were working in the universities when suddenly the other union declared strike and then, management closed down universities.
“Since that time, our members have not been on strike. We are appealing to our sister union, ASUU, to consider the Nigerian students and the development of education in Nigeria and obey the ruling of the Industrial Court that says lecturers should come back to work and that universities should be reopened.
“Our members are ready to work. It is left for the vice chancellors to open up the universities. Our members have not been paid all this while because of the understanding that all academic staff are being represented by ASUU. Probably that is why the Federal Government stopped salaries for everybody.”
Isiaku said with ASUU no longer the only union in Nigerian universities, they were hopeful that their members would be paid accordingly.
While noting that they were not employed to teach only undergraduate students, he revealed that many of their members had been engaging post-graduate students virtually and independently in their offices.
He denied insinuations that they were being used by the Federal Government to break the ranks of ASUU.
“We are not spoilers. We are interested party in the development of educational system in Nigeria because we are lecturers. And we did not subscribe to ASUU’s methods of tackling these problems in Nigerian universities. That is why we formed our own group and luckily for us, the Federal Government, yesterday, granted us our registration. It didn’t come easy. We have been fighting for this since 2018. That was even the formal application that we put. But, we have been challenging many of the actions that our sister union do take, to always embark on strike at the slightest provocation. We believe strike is grounding the system more than the issues they are raising.”
Also, Appeal Court has told ASUU and the Federal Government to go and do an amicable resolution of the dispute.
The three-man panel of the court, presided over by Hamma Akawu Barka directed the lead counsel of both parties to convey its opinion to their clients.
Earlier, lead counsel to ASUU, Femi Falana, told the court that he brought two motions.
Falana withdrew the one dated, September 23, 2022 and upheld the one dated, September 28, 2022.
Falana said he served the motion for stay of execution of the interlocutory injunction on the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The Federal Government counsel, James Igwe, said he had not been served with the motion.
The court after offering its opinion on amicable resolution of the dispute by both parties, adjourned the matter to today for further proceedings.