The National Industrial Court, NIC, sitting in Abuja, Friday adjourned proceedings till September 19, after refusing the Federal government request for the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, to return to work.
During yesterday’s proceedings the Ministry of Labour and Employment Counsel, James Igwe SAN urged the court to compel the lecturers to return to work while the suit is being determined. But Counsel to ASUU Femi Falana countered that aceeding to such a request would mean that the Court has already passed its judgement on substantive suit.
Falana added that the Minister of Labour and Employment lacked the power to ask the court in his referral to order the defendant to go back to work.
He also informed the court that ASUU would be meeting stakeholders in the House of Representative on Sept. 20 to ensure that the matter is resolved.
The presiding judge Justice Polycarp Hammam sided with Falana and reserved judgement till Monday September 19.
Earlier Mr Ebuolu Adegoruwa SAN, counsel to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), had raised the issue of joinder and consolidation of the suit, citing section 36 of the 1999 constitution to fair hearing.
He submitted that the court should invoke the cited section in SERAP’s favour to be joined in the suit as a defendant and urged the court to take his application to that effect before entertaining any other application in the suit
Adegoruwa said relief 3 of their application is for stay of further proceeding for the court to determine whether or not they will be a party in the suit.
