Pensioner, 71, Sues ASUU Over Strike

A 71-year-old pensioner in Kano State, Mallam Dankano Garba Ahmed, has dragged the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) and eight others to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria over the ongoing strike embarked upon by the union. The pensioner in suit number NICN/KN/161/2013 said the strike is affecting the education of his daughter who is a 400 level Civil Engineering student at the Bayero University Kano. In the affidavit in support of the originating summon, the pensioner accused the union of frustrating his efforts to get his daughter, Zainab Garba Ahmed, out of school within the stipulated time. "The strike by the union is making my daughter who is the second plaintiff, idle, disorganised and psychologically disturbed. Being a 71- year-old man who earns less than N30,000 as pension, the strike of the union irritates me," he said. He added, "I have other children who I wish to sponsor, but that is subject to the successful graduation of this my daughter. Her future and that of thousand others across the country are being stagnated strategically by the ongoing strike". The pensioner is asking the court to determine whether the agreement dated 21 October 2009, entered between ASUU and the Federal Government is valid, binding, and not illegal having regards to the provision of Section 3(1) (d) of the BUK Act as well as other statutes establishing the universities owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria. "If the answer to the issue is in the negative, the court should also determine whether ASUU has a right to embark on strike for failure/ or refusal of the Federal Government to implement the said agreement," part of the affidavit read. The pensioner is seeking perpetual injunction restraining ASUU from continuing with the strike or taking any action whatsoever and by whatever means to enforce the said agreement or compel the Federal Government to implement it. The case comes up today at the Kano division of National Industrial Court.