Lagos Assembly wades into LASPOTECH lingering crisis

By Olanrewaju Adesanya

The Lagos State House of Assembly has resolved to intervene in the industrial rift between the Lagos State Polytechnics management and staff.

Moving the motion on the floor of the house,the Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade who was seconded by Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu, hinted that the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) had been enmeshed in internal wrangling attendant of which academic activities had been in limbo.

Speaking during plenary, Agunbiade said, “I wish to present to this House the crisis in the only polytechnic in the state which is within my constituency.

The lawmaker who is representing Ikorodu constituency I, explained that the issue had remained unresolved for the past five months, adding “it now degenerates to assault resulting to arrest where staff take laws into their hands.”

He recalled that similar crisis came up in Lagos State University (LASU) in the past which the House was able to intervene and got resolved.

While giving credence to the Majority Leader’s submission, the Chairman House committee on Education, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi disclosed that his committee had initiàted move to resolve the issue but it failed.

He explained that the State government took the Union to industrial court but the issue remained unresolved as the court gave a ruling for status quo to remain.

In his comments, the House committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, Hon. Tunde Braimoh stated that his committee had received two petitions over the crisis.

According to him, the Union alleged that the school management used executive fiat to arrest its members and that students who are already graduates do not get their certificates due to the crisis.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa directed the House committees on Education and Judiciary to work together on the need to resolve the crisis and report back in two weeks.

Meanwhile, four Bills were able to scale through second readings and were committed to their relevant committees and were to report back in a week’s time.

The Bills are Lagos State Public Finance Management, 2011, Urban and Regional Planning Amendment Bill, 2018, Lagos State Employment Bill, 2018 and Electric Power Sector Reform Bill, 2018.

In his comments, the House committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, Hon. Tunde Braimoh stated that his committee had received two petitions over the crisis.

According to him, the Union alleged that the school management used executive fiat to arrest its members and that students who are already graduates do not get their certificates due to the crisis.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa directed the House committees on Education and Judiciary to work together on the need to resolve the crisis and report back in two weeks.