The National Industrial Court in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by the Academic staff union of Nigeria (ASUU) challenging the registration of Congress of Nigerian University Academics, CONUA and Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Academics, NAMDA, as trade unions by the federal government.
The President of the court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, while delivering judgment, held that section 27 of the Trade Union Act allows for more than one trade Union in employment, as the section does not depict trade monopoly.
Justice Kanyip held that the evidence presented by ASUU was inconsequential because when the suit was filed on October 26, 2022, CONUA and NAMDA registration had not yet been gazetted in line with section 523 of the Trade Union Act.
The court further held that ASUU also committed an error by filing against NAMDA as the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics instead of the Nigeria Association of Medical and dental academics.
Justice Kanyip who held that NAMDA was not in existence at the time ASUU filed the suit and refused all the reliefs sought by ASUU.