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The suit filed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, against the Academic Staff Union of Universities has been adjourned, according to reports.

The case was heard before Justice Polycarp Hamman of Nigeria’s National Industrial Court in Abuja.

According to reports, the Federal Government urged the National Industrial Court on Monday to order ASUU to end its seven-month strike.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has joined as a claimant in the case, with ASUU President Professor Emmanuel Osodeke as the sole defendant.

When the case came up for hearing, Ebunolu Adegoruwa, SAN, a human rights activist, informed the court that he was representing the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and that he had filed a suit on the same subject matter before the same court.

He also stated that SERAP was the claimant in the suit NICN/ABJ/269/2022, with the Federal Government as the defendant.

As a result, he moved to have the existing suit consolidated and SERAP added as a defendant, rather than having multiple suits on the same matter before the same court.

In response, claimant’s counsel, Mr T.A Gazali, SAN, stated that the application was premature and that there was no need for SERAP to ask to be joined in a suit orally in a matter that did not have its name on the cause list.

Mr Femi Falana, SAN, counsel to ASUU, in his response, informed the court that both counsel had informed him on Monday that they were both filing some papers.

Falana also asked the court to adjourn the case so that both counsel could file their papers and then return at a later date to respond to the claimant’s process.

Adegoruwa responded that the defendant had not denied the existence of the suit filed and served on them by SERAP.

Gazali, for his part, informed the court that his process would be filed on Monday, and Falana stated that he would need three days to respond.

In his ruling, the judge adjourned the case until Friday for further consideration.

He also ordered the claimant to file and serve his process, as well as the defendant to file and serve his response, before the adjourned date.

Furthermore, Hamman ruled that SERAP’s application to be joined in the suit was premature.

The claimant’s lawsuit also asks the court to expedite the hearing in order to resolve the dispute.

In the instrument of referral, the claimant also requests that the court “enquire into the legality or otherwise of the on-going prolonged strike by ASUU leadership and members, which had continued even after apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment.”

“Interpret in its entirety the provisions of Section 18, LFN 2004 especially as it applies to cessation of strike once a trade dispute is apprehended by the Minister of Labour end Employment and conciliation is on-going”.