Five university students and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) have filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari in response to the prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)strike.

The students are Dongo Davou, Oyebode Babafemi, Ejie Kemkanma, Peter Aniefiok and Imam Naziru. They are students of Plateau State University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Port Harcourt, University of Uyo and University of Ibadan, respectively.

SERAP and the students are urging the court to “declare unlawful the refusal by the Federal Government to meet ASUU’s demands, which has occasioned the prolonged strike action and violated the students’ right to quality education”.

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Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour, employment and productivity; Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice are also joined as defendants in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in response to the Federal Government’s apparent lack of commitment to implement its agreements with ASUU, end the union’s over seven-month-old industrial action and back down from its threat to enact a ‘no work, no pay’ policy.

SERAP and the students are therefore seeking “an order directing President Buhari and Mr Ngige to immediately implement all the agreements with ASUU in order to end the strike action and violation of the students’ right to quality education”.

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According to SERAP and the students, “disruption of classes undermines both the quality and duration of students’ education. This situation has aggravated existing disparities in access to university education in the country, further marginalising economically disadvantaged parents and students.”

The suit reads in part: “The Federal Government has failed to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the right to quality education and the right to freedom of association through the principle of collective bargaining.

“Although Nigeria has ratified several human rights treaties, which guarantee the right to quality education of Nigerian students, the Federal Government has, over the years, refused to meet the demands by ASUU, and to address the poor environment in the country’s universities.

“The failure to implement the agreements with ASUU is also a fundamental breach of the right to education without discrimination or exclusion, as strike actions continue to penalize economically disadvantaged parents who have no means or capacity to send their children to private schools.

“Equal access of Nigerian children and young people to quality and uninterrupted education, including at the university level, would contribute to producing citizens who are fundamentally equal and people who actively participate in society.”