The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has advised the Academic Staff Union of Universities to stop directing its members to continue with the 8-month-old strike in defiance of the interlocutory injunction by the National Industrial Court which restrained the union from further action.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Deputy Director Press and Public Relations, Olajide Oshundun, on Sunday.

Ngige accused the leadership of the union of misinforming and misleading its members and warned of consequences of contempt of court order, noting that “the Federal Government strongly frowns at this.”

He stated “The union is dishonest and misleading its members and the general public, that it has filed an appeal as well as a stay of execution of the order of National Industrial Court on September 21, 2022, though it has none of this.

“Rather, ASUU only filed an application for permission to appeal the order. It also attached to the application, a proposed notice of appeal which it intends to file if the leave to appeal is granted. The application for a stay of execution as of this moment has not even been listed for hearing. Where then is ASUU coming from?

“It is therefore contemptuous, dishonest and misleading for the union to tell its members that it has not only appealed the interlocutory injunction by the National Industrial Court, directing it to call off the strike and return to work but that it also has a stay of execution.”

The minister once again called on the union to respect the court order and return to work while negotiations are concluded on the remaining issues in contention.