Kamsiyochukwu Mbamalu, PBA Journalism MenteeBy Kamsiyochukwu Mbamalu, Journalism Mentee
There have been social media reports claiming that 46 Law professors, 22 of whom are Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), are set to represent the academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Industrial Court of Abuja today Monday, September 12, 2022.
The viral social media posts also claimed that one of the Law professors actually ”supervised the Chief Judge of the Abuja Industrial Court during his masters’.’
The Federal Government led by the Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige and his Education counterpart Adamu Adamu are championing the federal government team as plaintiffs in a suit the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration filed on September 9, 2022.
ASUU has been on strike for over six months after it embarked on a week-long warning strike to force government honour the 2009 renegotiated agreement reached by both parties. The warning strike, however evolved into a full blown industrial action after both parties failed to agree. The university teachers body few weeks ago declared the strike ‘indefinite’ after it said that the federal government was not sincere with the negotiations.
READ ALSO: EDITORIAL: We Stand With ASUU, 200 Days After
Explaining why the federal government is dragging ASUU to Industrial Court, Ngige has said that the over six-month-old industrial action was never going to end without he move, especially as the Professor Emmanuel Osodeke-led ASUU was aware that impact of the long strike on the polity.
However, PBA fact checks found the report as untrue. University lecturers who would want to remain anonymous on the matter told Prime Business Africa that the report claiming that 46 professors of Law and 22 Senior advocates had volunteered to represent ASUU in her case with the Federal Government could not be confirmed.
Prime Business Africa also spoke with the ASUU president who also refuted it. ”It’s not true,” Professor Osodeke said in a telephone conversation on Monday morning; just as he confirmed that ASUU would be fully represented in court today, Monday, September 12, 2022.
Professor Osodeke, however, declined comments on identity of ASUU’s counsel in today’s court hearing. ”That’s our local matter,” he said in response.
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