Don Condemns Ruling Recognising CONUA, NAMDA

The judgement by the National Industrial Court (NIC) on Wednesday dismissing the suit brought to it by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) challenging the registration of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has been condemned by Prof Des Wilson of the University of Uyo.

In an interview with our correspondent on telephone, Des described the judgement as Pyrrhic victory, adding that the judgement is to the detriment of the education sector as nothing matters to those in power.

The don noted that it beats the imagination that a judge could arrive at such judgement on a sensitive issue such as the one that encourages duplicating unions in the university.

“It beats my imagination that a judge of an industrial court could arrive at such a puerile ruling on such a sensitive issue which could ordinarily have been arrived at without any serious judicial interrogation,” Des said.

According to him, “What the judge is saying is that you can duplicate all existing unions in order to satisfy the wishes of the gods in Aso Rock.

“These conscienceless officials lack critical vision to see the mountain of confusion they are stoking for the nation.”

Continuing, he said, “The Pyrrhic victory of 2022 was no victory at all because these drones in power are only consumed by the grandeur of their imagination, nothing else matters.

“That is why they are not bothered that smaller African, Asian and American states that started the journey with us in the 1960s have left us behind.”

“They are not ashamed that they now boast of sending their children to those countries for their education while our own institutions remain comatose.

“While Buhari was a disaster, Tinubu has, true to his whining during the campaigns to follow Buhari’s footsteps, have outstripped him,” Des said.

The don called for urgent intervention to arrest Nigeria’s glaring descent in the education sector.

“It’s a big shame. Nigeria is passing out; will someone out there do something to save our future?”

PBA reports that the National Industrial Court on Wednesday dismissed the suit brought by ASUU to challenge the registration of CONUA and NAMDA as trade unions in the university system.

The two new unions were issued with certificates of registration by then Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige in October 2022 to exist as separate trade unions.

In his judgement, the President of the NIC, Justice Benedict Kanyip based his ruling on the strength of the provision of Section 27 of the Trade Union Act which allows for more than a single trade union in an employment.