*Ask Court to stop payments of salaries, allowances of all political office holders
A final year undergraduate student of Benue State University, BSU, Soohemba Agatha Aker has dragged the federal government, Academic Staff Union of University ,ASUU and nine others before the Federal High Court over the lingering strike.
The aggrieved student is praying the Court to stop payments of salaries and allowances of key government officials and ASUU members pending when the strike is call off and students resume classes.
Aker, the President of Students Union Government prayed in an originating summons filed by his lawyer, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume SAN, at Federal High Court Abuja for a declaration that the refusal of the respondents to resolve the seven months old strike “is wrongful and gross failure of duty to the future of Nigeria.”
Other respondents are President of the Senate Federal Republic of Nigeria,the RT. Hon Speaker Federal House of Representatives, Governor of Abia state in his official capacity and representative capacity of other state governors., Revenue mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federal Account Allocation Committee, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who were joined as the 3rd,4th,5th and 6th, respondents respectively.
The rest of the respondents are
the Honourable Attorney General of Abia State in his official capacity and as representative of states Attorney Generals, Vice Chancellor of Abuja University in his official capacity and as representative of all Vice Chancellors and Umar Faruk the President of National Association of Nigeria students,NANS, as the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th respondents respectively.
Plaintiff as the court to hold that the failure of the respondents to resolve ASUU strike which had led to the shut down of government Universities amounted to gross violation of his Constitutional right to meaningful life, association, education and to develop capacity to own functional intellectual cum physical property.
He also praying for a declaration that the negligent of the respondents to resolve the strike is an act of discrimination, as the children of the respondents are schooling abroad.
The plaintiff further prayed the court for an order compelling the 1st,2nd,3rd,4th5th 10th and 11th respondents to immediately inaugurate a “Save the future Think-Tank Committee” to map out immediate steps to end the ongoing strike and ensure uninterrupted academic calendar.
An order of the court stopping payment of salary,allowances and other benefits of all political office holders at the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Secretary to the government, all the Senators , all members of House of Representatives,all ministers,all Permanent Secretaries, all heads of parastatals , Vice Chancellors and members of Senate of striking Universities pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
A mandatory injunction directing 1,3, 4, 8 and 9 respondents to pass a supplementary Act that allocate funds that would meet recommendations of Save the future Think-Tank Committee.
In a 47 paragraphs supporting affidavit the plaintiff detailed the facts of the case and noted that the respondents since 1999 have entered several agreements without the students or their representatives while the students continue to suffer.