71 Years old Man sues ASUU for delaying daughter’s education

Apparently fed up with the more than two month long
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike,
Mallam Dankano Garba Ahmed, a 71-year-old
pensioner in Kano State, has instituted a case in court
against the academic body and eight others.
The pensioner, who took his grouse to the National
Industrial Court of Nigeria in the case with suit number
NICN/KN/161/2013, said the strike is having a negative
impact on the education of his daughter who is a 400
level Civil Engineering student at the Bayero University
in Kano.
In the affidavit in support of the originating summon,
the pensioner reportedly 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, disorganized 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.