Senior Advocated of Nigeria, Femi Falana has cautioned the Federal Government’s rumoured plans to ban the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
In a statement released on Sunday the senior lawyer stated that the federal government has to properly amend the constitution and withdraw from the African Charter on human rights.
“To ban ASUU, the federal government will have to amend the fundamental right of citizens to freedom of association enshrined in Chapter 4 of the Constitution,” Falana said.
“It is a special amendment, which requires the resolution of four-fifths of members of the national assembly and approved by a two-thirds majority of members of not less than 24 houses of assembly.
“In addition, the federal government will withdraw its ratification of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention No 87 of the International Labour Organisation.
“The anti-democratic forces urging the Buhari administration to ban ASUU should be made to realise that a democratic government lacks the competence to abrogate the fundamental rights of citizens outside the ambit of the 1999 constitution.
“Those who are berating ASUU for alleged recalcitrance should advise the federal government to accord priorities to the funding of tertiary education”, he added.
