The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to immediately return to work.
The order was issued after the court dismissed the union’s appeal for a stay of execution of an earlier ruling by the National Industrial Court directing university teachers to start work.
The three-member Court of Appeal panel chaired by Hamma Barka granted the union permission to appeal the decision of the industrial court, but stipulated that the union must first begin working before launching the appeal.
It warned that the union’s license to appeal the National Industrial Court’s interlocutory order “would be automatically revoked” if ASUU failed to reopen the campuses.
The university lecturers’ union was given seven days to file an appeal against the verdict of the National Industrial Court.
“I am inclined to allow the request to appeal the verdict of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.” The court declared unanimously, “However, the order of the lower court shall be immediately obeyed.”
The National Industrial Court ordered ASUU to stop its strike on September 21.
The court approved the government’s notice request and ordered the professors to return to the classrooms.
In his ruling on the interlocutory injunction, trial judge Polycarp Hamman halted ASUU’s strike until the federal government’s lawsuit against ASUU was concluded.
Unsatisfied with the ruling, the union filed an appeal with the court of appeals.
It also requested a stay of execution of the decision of the industrial court.