By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), sitting in Abuja, has ordered the Federal Government and the Registrar of Trade Unions to register the newly formed National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities (NANTS) as a trade union.
A copy of the enrolment of the judgement order of the court made available to journalists on Tuesday, June 16, showed that the judgement was delivered by Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae.
The court ordered the three defendants in the suit—the Registrar of Trade Unions, the Minister of Labour and Employment, and the Attorney General of the Federation—to register the NANTS, which is the claimant, as a trade union under the Trade Union Act.
The university workers had earlier filed a case with suit number NICN/ABJ/345/2023 before the court through one Comrade Niyi Akinnibi, seeking an order directing the government to register NANTS as a trade union.
Obaseki-Osaghae ruled that it was wrong for the first and second defendants to refuse to register NANTS as a trade union.
The court also restrained the defendants and their agents from denying the claimant registration as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act.
“A declaration is hereby made that the defendants are bound to register the claimant’s National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a trade union under the Trade Union Act.
“A declaration is hereby made that the refusal of the first and second defendants to register the claimant’s National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act is wrongful.
“A mandatory order is hereby made directing the first and second defendants to register forthwith and/or to issue the claimant forthwith with the certificate of registration of the National Association of Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act.
“An order of perpetual injunction is hereby made restraining the defendants, their agents, privies, assigns, or any other person or authority deriving authority from them from denying the claimant registration as a trade union under the Trade Unions Act,” the judgement read.
Recall that members of the new union pulled out of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) to register the NANTS with branches in all state and federal universities across the country.
According to the National President of NANTS, Comrade Niyi Akinnibi, university workers had pulled out of NASU because it is an amorphous union that consists of primary schools, secondary schools, WAEC, library, research institutes, Colleges of Education, and polytechnics.
