By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday resolved to intervene in the crisis rocking the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) over the disagreement between the management and staff of the institution.
Majority Leader, Mr Sanai Agunbiade, who moved the motion which was seconded by one of his colleagues, Mr Adedamola Kasunmu, stated that LASPOTECH had been embroiled in crisis which had paralyzed academic activities in the institution.
Speaking during plenary, Mr 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 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, Mr 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, Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, Mr 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.
Reacting to the debate, Speaker of the House, Mr 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 scaled through second readings and were committed to their relevant committees that were directed to report to the House within one week.
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.