Lagos Lawyers Drags ASUU To Court

A Lagos-based legal practitioner, Daniel Onwe,
has dragged the Federal Government and the
Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU,
before a Federal High Court in Lagos, southern
Nigeria, over the lingering crisis between the
two bodies which has led to the closure of
public universities in the country since 1 July.
In a motion dated 30 September, 2013,
Barrister Onwe is seeking an order of court to
compel ASUU to call off the strike it embarked
upon in protest over the unwillingness of
government to implement certain aspects of
the agreement they reached over the parlous
state of Nigerian universities and other issues.
In a 15-paragraph affidavit filed along with the
motion, Onwe is asking the court to declare
that the indefinite strike embarked upon by
ASUU, leading to the closure of government
owned universities for three months, violates
the fundamental rights of the students
affected.
He argued that the continued strike action by
ASUU has traumatized many students who now
engage in all sorts of vices.
Onwe posited that the plight of the affected
students has worsened as their contemporaries
in private universities continue to attend
lectures while they remain idle at home.
He urged the court to compel ASUU to open
the universities for lectures to resume while
their negotiation with the Federal Government
continues.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit