The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dragged the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, before the National Industrial Court challenging the registration of Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).
Ngige is named the first defendant while CONUA and NAMDA are listed as the third and fourth defendants, according to the court documents filed October 25.
The suit is seeking a declaration that “the 1st Defendant is not competent to register the 3rd and 4th defendants [respectively] to co-exist alongside and carry out the same functions with the claimant in the universities in Nigeria” citing Sections 40 [2] of the Constitution of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Sections 3 [2] and 5 [4] of the Trade Unions Act.
ASUU is praying the industrial court to declare the certificate of registration issued to CONUA and NAMDA illegal.
“That the certificate of registration issued by the 2nd Defendant to the 3rd and 4th Defendants on or about the 4th day of October 2022 to function as trade unions in the universities in Nigeria is illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever,” parts of the suit filed by ASUU’s lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) read.