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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its eight-month-old strike conditionally, prompting reactions from many parents and guardians across the country.
While some parents are jubilant over the news, others have expressed caution, urging the Federal Government to do everything possible to ensure that such strike does not happen again.
Mr. Pius Emeje whose two children were victims of the strike said he was relieved by the ASUU gesture but added that he was disappointed that it took 8 months to resolve an issue that should never have become a problem.
A teacher and widow, Mrs. Oluremi Odukoya was all joy. “I know that one session is already lost but it’s better late than never. I have waited for this day because the longer my son stays at home, the more it costs me to train him. I am a widow and every family bill is on me,” she said.
A former President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi had on Friday morning announced the suspension of the 8-month ASUU strike.
”The union will issue a statement to that effect as soon as possible,” he said
He said union decided to suspend the strike during a meeting of its leadership that started on Thursday night and lasted into the early hours of Friday.
The meeting was called by the union to determine its next line of action after its state branches met over the Court of Appeal ruling on Oct. 7.
Also, the Chairman of ASUU in the University of Abuja, Prof. Kasim Umar confirmed the suspension.
He said the National ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke will brief newsmen.
The Court of Appeal had ordered ASUU to suspend the strike before its appeal of the ruling ordering lecturers to resume work can be heard.
Members of the union’s National Executive Committee, which comprises the chairmen of the state chapters and members of the national executive, attended the meeting at the ASUU National Secretariat in Abuja.
Political Economist NG reports that ASUU began the strike on Feb. 14, 2022
The Appellate court, in a ruling delivered by a three-man panel led by Justice Hamma Barka, stressed that it would not entertain any appeal from ASUU, until it obeyed the order of the National Industrial Court, NIC.
It, however, granted the aggrieved varsity lecturers the leave to proceed with the 14 grounds of appeal they earlier filed to set-aside the interlocutory injunction the NIC gave in favour of the Federal Government.
The Industrial Court on Sept. 21, ordered ASUU to call off the strike action in national interest and for the sake of undergraduates in the country.
It ordered the striking lecturers to return to the classroom, pending the determination of a suit FG filed to query the legality of their strike action.
In a judgement on the Federal Government’s interlocutory injunction, Justice Polycarp Hamman stopped ASUU from continuing with the strike until the case was resolved.
Justice Polycap, who was on vacation, issued an order directing the Industrial Court president to reassign the case to a different judge.
Additional reports from NAN.
