NANS does not trust Ngige, Adamu; stages protest to highlight displeasure
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
University students have passed a vote of no confidence in Labour Minister Chris Ngige and Education Minister Adamu Adamu over their handling of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), now in its seventh month.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) South West zone, which made the resolution, said its protest on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Sagamu Interchange) was to highlight displeasure over Abuja’s dealing with ASUU.
“Since the inception of this [Muhammadu Buhari] administration, we have seen how a meagre sum is allocated to the educational sector,” NANS South West Coordinator Adegboye Olatunji said, per Vanguard.
“It is based on the foregoing that we declared a protest against the prolonged ASUU strike which has ultimately affected the progress of Nigerian students for the past seven months.
“And, we also passed a vote of no confidence in the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, and Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.”
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Another judge may handle court case
The National Industrial Court (NIC) may assign the case between the federal government and ASUU to another judge because Polycap Hamman who presided on it on Monday is a vacation judge, according to Vanguard.
The case, which was filed by Ngige, has been adjourned until Friday.
Premium Times reports that at Monday’s proceedings, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sought to join the suit as an interested party.
SERAP counsel Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN said his client had filed a similar suit asking the court to compel Abuja to honour its 2009 agreement with ASUU.
“We filed a similar suit on 8 September, asking the court to compel the federal government to honour an agreement it willingly entered into with ASUU,” he disclosed.
But government counsel Tijjani Gazali, SAN opposed the application to consolidate the suits, because it was “premature” as the case was billed for mention on Monday.
Femi Falana, another SAN who represents ASUU, said he was aware of efforts by the lawyers to file court papers on Monday.
Ruling
The judge agreed with the government that the suit was not ripe for consolidation, adding he was only presiding as a vacation judge and the case would be assigned to another judge for full adjudication.
He ordered the parties to file and exchange their written submissions, and adjourned the case until Friday.
Govt suit is delay tactic, says Falana
After Monday’s proceedings, Adegboruwa told journalists Abuja has abdicated its responsibility to fund public universities, necessitating the filing of SERAP’s suit.
Falana, accompanied by ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke and other officials, said Abuja often adopts “dilatory tactics that have a way of prolonging strikes.”
He referenced the resident doctors’ dispute with the government last year which resulted in a suit at the NICN.
Said he: “The government is yet to put its house in order. The government has not been able to make a case for the intervention of the court, hence the basis of adjournment.
“This is not the first time the government has adopted this rather dilatory tactics that have a way of prolonging strike.
“We were here last year when you had the resident doctors strike. It was the same approach. They (government) said they (resident doctors) won’t be paid, but at the end of the day, government had to pay them. And that is what happens all the time.”