*Offers N65bn to end strike
…As law students drag feuding parties to court
The Federal government has offered the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) N65 billion for Earned Academic Allowance and revitalisation.
It also agreed to pay the striking lecturers through the Integrated Financial Management Information System until ASUU’s University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) is ready for use.
These are some of the agreements reached at the resumed meeting between the leadership of ASUU and the Federal government team on Friday.
At the end of the seven-hour meeting, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige announced that the Accountant-General of the Federation ( AGF) has offered to release N40 billion or in the alternative, N35 billion to be shared by all the registered Trade Unions in the universities after providing necessary evidence of having earned the allowance.
“The FG reiterated that her offer of N40 billion or N35 billion whichever is accepted by ASUU, is for all the universities unions: ASUU had proposed that N40 billion be paid immediately for all unions,” the Minister said.
Ngige said all vice-chancellors are to submit details of the EAA/EA to the National Universities Commission (NUC) on or before November 30.
But prior to the resolution of impasse, the Law Students Association of Nigeria has dragged the Federal government, ASUU, its President Prof. Biodun with three others before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the strike.
Joined also as defendants in the suit filed on Friday by the plaintiff, Mr. Blessing Agbomhere, who sued on behalf of all members of the Law Students Association of Nigeria are, Ministers of Education, Labour and Employment and the Attorney General of Federation (AGF).
In a writ of summons filed on behalf of the plaintiff by his lawyer, Luqman Momodu, he is praying for an order of the court, compelling ASUU to call off the strike and return to the classroom as well as an order of perpetual injunction restraining the association from embarking on further strikes.
The plaintiff also wants the court to compel ASUU to pay the sum of N10 billion as compensation to Nigerian students, for allegedly infringing on the right of the students to education as guaranteed by Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 17 of African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
The Law students, through their President, want, among other reliefs, a declaration that the strike by the University lecturers is a breach of their right to education.
“A declaration that the indefinite strike embarked upon by the 1st and 2nd defendants since March 2020, leading to the closure of government-owned universities, which has detrimentally and negatively impacted on the plaintiff’s learning and the smooth operation of academic calendar of universities, is a brazen infraction of the plaintiff’s right to education.
“An order of mandatory injunction compelling the 1st and 2nd defendants to call off the strike and return to the status quo antebellum whilst negotiation for an amicable resolution of the issues in contention or among the defendants is ongoing.
“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants whether by themselves, servants, agents and/or privies from further declaring or embarking on indefinite and incessant strikes.”
The students are also seeking an order directing the 3rd to 6th defendants to re-open government-owned universities and to honour their contractual agreements with the 1st and 2nd defendants in the overall interest of the plaintiff.
In his statement of claim, Agbomhere said he is a Nigerian citizen, a final year law student of Baze University and currently the President of the Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN).
He further averred that the suit was a sequel to a mandate given to him by the Senate of Law Students’ Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), to institute the suit in a representative capacity against the defendants.
University lecturers have been on strike since March 2, 2020, and ASUU officials have been on the negotiating table with the federal government since then.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit, which is yet to be assigned to a Judge.