Nigerian lecturers to challenge back-to-class order

The striking university professors in Nigeria claim they would challenge the arbitration court's decision ordering them to call off their seven-month strike and report to work.

On Wednesday, the National Industrial Court issued the directive while it was deliberating a government lawsuit contesting the strike.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, on the other hand, advised its members to "stay cool" and noted that its attorneys had already filed an appeal.

After both sides were unable to agree, the administration turned to the court to prevent the lecturers from extending their strike. It warned that if the walkout wasn't called off, Nigerian students and the nation as a whole will suffer irreparable harm.

Due to pay disputes with the government, public university teachers have been postponing sessions for the past seven months.

The government, according to the lecturers, has not complied with some of the agreements made with the union ten years ago.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (Nans), the umbrella organization for university students in Nigeria, had earlier praised the court's decision, calling it a win-win situation for all parties involved.

However, the students' union asked the government to avoid seeing the decision as a win for the teachers.