The National Industrial Court has issued a restraining order against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and their affiliates, preventing them from carrying out any form of strike or industrial action.
The order specifically puts a halt to the planned nationwide strike, scheduled to commence on November 14.
The restraining order was issued by the President of the Court, Justice Benedict Bakwaph Kanyip, in response to an ex-parte application brought before the Court by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: NLC, TUC Convene Emergency Meeting Over Wednesday Nationwide Strike
Justice Kanyip invoked sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act to enforce the restraining order against organized labor.
The Federal Government and the AGF, represented by their lawyer, Tijani Gazali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Director of Civil Appeals in the Federal Ministry of Justice, argued that the strike should be stopped to prevent hardships on law-abiding citizens and businesses.
Gazali highlighted the difficulties experienced by Nigerians when the labor unions blocked entrances to the main airports in the country.
Justice Kanyip, convinced by the government’s arguments, asserted the court’s authority to intervene with a restraining order to maintain peace and tranquility.
He granted all the requests made by the federal government, including the directive to post the restraining order on the last known address of the defendants and publish it, along with the originating and other processes, in two major national dailies.
The case file has been transferred to Justice Olufunke Anuwe, who is responsible for handling similar labor-related disputes.