CONTISS 15: Police Boss Advises Striking LASPOTECH Staff to Seek Justice in Court

Funmi Ogundare
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal has advised protesting members of the Non- Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Lagos State Polytechnic to approach the court in seeking justice if they feel the State Executive Council’s decision on the implementation of CONTISS 15 migration was wrongly implemented.

The union had penultimate week embarked on an industrial action to demand the reversal of the CONTISS 15 de-migration; investigation into the finances of the polytechnic; stoppage of harassment and intimidation of union leaders and members generally.

Other demands are restoration of its check-off dues deduction and other staff welfare deductions; stoppage of administrative recklessness; and the immediate sack of the management team and governing council.

The union also staged a protest at the State Secretariat to seek the state government’s immediate intervention in the issue and also expressed concern that the school management had brought in a vigilante group to intimidate the union leaders.
At a peace meeting held between the polytechnic management and the union at the Police Headquarters, Lagos Command on January, 29, Edgal, who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner, Ayuba Elkanah told the protesting union not to jeopardise the peace Lagos state is currently enjoying, but to seek redress at the court if it feels unjustly treated.

Though academic activities are going on smoothly on the campuses of the polytechnic, the commissioner of Police charged the Area ‘N’ Commandant and the DPO of Shagamu Road Police Station to take all necessary steps in ensuring that normalcy returns to the institution and that no staff of the polytechnic should be molested or attacked for performing his or her official task.

The Deputy Registrar, Public Relations and Information Unit, Mr. Olanrewaju Kaye told THISDAY that the management of the institution has reported the matter to the government and is expecting the government to take a decisive action on it.

The Rector, Mr. Oluyinka Sogunro reiterated that the polytechnic acted on the Lagos State Executive Council’s directive in line with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE’s) policy document.

He informed the peace meeting that, “in order to pave way for the outstanding promotions and annual increments for 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 appraisal years, the staff through the polytechnic governing council appealed to the state government for the withdrawal of the court case earlier filed to restrain the unions from disrupting academic activities of the polytechnic. Lagos State government on compassionate grounds discontinued the case and consequently, the case was dismissed by the National Industrial Court (NIC).”

Others present at the peace meeting were: CSP Vera Ameh-Akpa, Officer in Charge of Special Investigation Bureau, ACP Ayo Sonubi, Area Commandant of Area N, DPO, Shagamu Road, Adekunle Omisakin and principal officers of the polytechnic.