The Lagos State Government has announced plans to appeal the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) decision that barred the Lagos State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee from functioning.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that on Tuesday, the NICN in Lagos nullified the appointment of the committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.
In her decision, Justice Maureen Esowe ruled that the suspension of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state was illegal and ordered its reinstatement.
Esowe also barred the state government from interfering with the union’s executives’ activities.
However, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is said to have requested a Certified True Copy of the court’s decision in order to file an appeal.
The Lagos government stated that the Park Management Committee was not a party to RTEAN’s suit in a statement issued by the state’s Director of Public Affairs, Grace Alo.
The government clarified that the State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee was formed to oversee the activities of commercial road transport workers within garages and motor parks, not as a caretaker committee to run RTEAN’s affairs in the state.
Ali submitted that;
Our attention has been drawn to reports on various media about a judgment delivered by Honourable Justice Maureen Esowe in respect of Suit No NICN/LA/381/2022 between the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and The Executive Governor of Lagos State and 36 Ors.
The reliefs sought from the Court by the Claimant include a declaration that the purported dissolution of the Elected Executive Committee of the Claimant operating in Lagos State and the appointment of a Caretaker Committee to run its affairs in Lagos State by the Lagos State Government is unconstitutional, null and void.
It is on record that what the Lagos State Government set up is known as the Lagos State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee on the Operations of Commercial Road Transport Workers Activities within Garages and Motor Parks and not a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Lagos State.
Several of the reports have mistakenly attributed to the Judgement that the Lagos State Park Management Committee (Committee) has been dissolved. The validity of the Lagos State Park Management Committee was not an issue before the Court and the Committee was not a party to the suit.
The dissolution of the Committee is unrelated to the issues before the Court.
The Lagos State Government has applied for the Certified True Copy of the Judgement and intends to file an appeal in respect of same. All affected parties are enjoined to remain calm and be law-abiding.
It should be noted, however, that the Lagos State government suspended the operations of RTEAN in September 2022 and formed a 35-man caretaker committee to take over the union’s operations.
Following that development, the RTEAN filed a lawsuit, NICN/LA/381/2022, challenging the Lagos State government’s dissolution of its executive council.
The suit’s first three defendants were revealed to be Lagos State Governor, the state’s Attorney-General, and the governor’s Special Adviser on Transportation, Sola Giwa.
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