LASPOTECH Crisis: Lagos Assembly Receives NASU, ASUP & SSANIP Positions

Kunle ADELABU

-Assembly asked us to maintain peace while awaiting decision – LASPOTECH management

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The warring Staff Unions of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu;  Non-Academic Staff Union [NASU], Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics [ASUP] and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics [SSANIP], have presented their demands and opinions on how to resolve the protracted crisis between them and the management of the  institution which has been going on for the past three years.

Their demands were contained in a joint presentation submitted to the House Committee, set up by the Assembly to look into the crisis, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, a copy of which was made available to THE IMPACT .

The Lagos State House of Assembly,  on Monday, May 13,2019, had resolved to wade into the crisis rocking the Polytechnic over the disagreement between the management and staff members of the institution.

 The Majority Leader and the representative of Ikorodu Constituency I, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, had moved a motion calling for the intervention of the House in the crisis.

 The  motion  was supported by the Chairman, House Committee on Youths, Sports and Social Development, Hon. Adedamola Kasumu.

Agunbiade, while presenting the matter on the floor of the House, stated that the institution has been embroiled in a protracted crisis which has paralysed academic activities, stating that the situation requires the intervention of the House.

In their joint presentation to the House Committee handling the matter, the three unions demanded for an independent panel to unravel all issues they have raised in their presentation, thorough investigation into the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) saga, unconditional reinstatement of members whose appointments were illegally and punitively terminated and complete implementation of the CONTISS 15 Migration (which is the genesis of the crisis).

“We demand for a panel of inquiry to unravel all issues we have raised in this presentation so as to bring back the lost peaceful and harmonious working atmosphere the institution had enjoyed in the past.

“We equally demand for a thorough investigation into the JAMB saga as alleged by the polytechnic administration against the Staff unions’ leaders who were unjustly arrested, detained and currently on bail on the order of the court ruling.

“We demand the unconditional reinstatement of all those whose appointments were illegally and punitively terminated on the account of their leadership roles in defending the rights of the members of the unions to justice in the avoidable and protracted crisis created by the LASPOTECH authority.

“We insist on our demands for the implementation of CONTISS 15 MIGRATION as contained in the Collective Agreement reached with the Deputy Governor”.

Also in the joint presentation, the three unions stated that the crisis, which according to them, has defied all interventions, is deeper and goes beyond the CONTISS 15 Migration.

They alleged that the current administration of the institution, led by the Rector, Mr Samuel Sogunro, is eroding the legacy of the Lagos State Polytechnic through its authoritarian conduct, disregard for workers’ welfare, victimization of staff members and threats among others.

“It is important to state at the onset of this sitting that the avoidable crisis in LASPOTECH between the staff unions and the LASPOTECH administration goes beyond the CONTISS 15 migration which was the major focus of the discussion at the last sitting. The crisis in the Polytechnic, according to the unions, is deeper and more serious than that. “It is more about the legacy of the polytechnic that is fast being eroded” ,they claimed.

“The crisis is more about the authoritarian conduct of the current administration in the institution that is undermining academic freedom and values of the Tertiary institutions’ ideas.

“Disregard for the welfare of staff members and students and undue interference in the running of both staff unions and the students’ union by the management.

“Victimisation of outspoken members of the Staff unions and arbitrary termination of appointments by the management

“Threats to life and framed-up criminal charges by the LASPOTECH administration against dissenting voices”, the unions alleged.

Buttressing there position on the eroding of the legacy of the institution, the unions alleged that despite the huge sum of money pumped into the system by the state government, LASPOTECH has failed to get full accreditation of its courses.

Also, the unions alleged that the institution’s Library is in comatose and that the concession of LASPOTECH ICT Centre to Today Solution failed to follow the due process among others.

“Honourable Chairman, it is sad to bring to your notice that LASPOTECH that was rated third best Polytechnic in Nigeria by the National Board on Technical Education [NBTE] in 2014, has drastically dropped in the ranking to No 19 within the spate of four years of the current LASPOTECH administration despite the huge fund of about N750 million released by the Lagos State Government to the Polytechnic for the last accreditation exercise. Yet, LASPOTECH failed to get full accreditation of all its courses”, the union alleged.

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“It should be put on record that despite the fund released by the Lagos State Government for the accreditation, every member of academic staff were made to make financial contribution to execute accreditation exercise.

“Laboratories have been starved of required consumables and equipment, thereby compelling students to undertake Alternative to Practical courses in the polytechnic.

“The LASPOTECH Library is in a state of comatose, while the e-library project has been grounded, despite the huge amount of money committed to it.

“90% of TETFUND allocations on staff trainings and developments are given to cronies and friends.

Students’ welfare is grounded and students were made to provide for markers and dusters themselves for their lectures.

“The concession of institution’s ICT Centre to Today Solutions company at the cost of N250m was done without due process despite the fact that the current staff of the centre have the training and experience to perform and have been performing the required tasks effectively and efficiently.

“Some of the above revelations may look alarming to State actors outside the Polytechnic environment, but it is the truth behind the falling standard of the institution and only the current Rector of the Polytechnic – Mr. Samuel Sogunro and his Administration can offer explanations on what is going wrong with our academic standards”, the unions stated in there presentation.

On the CONTISS 15 Migration, the unions accused the management, led by Mr Sogunro, of reneging on what was agreed upon when he was the deputy Rector(Administration) despite the increase in the institution’s subvention from the state government.

“Dr. Lawal’s administration, with the same Mr. Sogunro as the Deputy Rector (Administration), promised to implement the Report if the Polytechnic has  additional N19million increase in subvention.

“The Staff unions then lobbied the government for an increase in the Polytechnic’s subvention and was granted and approved by Governor Akinwumi Ambode in January 2016, with a cash backing in July 2016, to the tune of N57 million monthly”, the union revealed in there presentation.

Also, the unions disclosed that they embarked on strike action when all peaceful efforts failed to make the Rector see reason with them that the institution’s subvention was increased by the state government due to their agitation for the implementation of the CONTISS 15 Migration.

“The union then approached the Rector, Mr. Samuel Sogunro, for the implementation but he claimed that the increase in subvention to N57m was not adequate to accommodate the implementation. At a point, the Rector claimed that the Government insisted that the implementation would only be possible if the Unions can sign an undertaking to forfeit the accrued arrears. All efforts by the Staff unions to plead with the Rector for reasoning proved abortive. And when all peaceful efforts made by us failed, we decided to embark on strike in October 2016.

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Furthermore, the unions, in their presentation,  also provided details of  staff members that were allegedly victimized by the Sogunro led administration.

“The height of these brazen and unconscionable assaults on our individuals and collective psyche have been the petitioning of union leaders to the police, civil defence corps on cooked up  kidnapping allegations. Recently, ten union leaders were framed up in an attempted murder case and have consequently been charged to court .

“Indeed, as hollow and as baseless as this charge is, it demonstrates, in the strongest term, the extent of malice by the administration, the level of vindictiveness and the length it can go to deal with its enemies, real or imagined.

“Within the spate of four years, over twenty of our staff members have been made to face  disciplinary committee for offences not committed, receiving various punitive measures ranging from demotion, interdiction, and suspension, at different times. The height of it was the disengagement of four NASU members from the service of the institution without genuine reason”.

They also claimed that the number of staff members that have been victimized by the current administration is unprecedented in the history of the Polytechnic.

“The unsavoury victimization of staff members in the Lagos State Polytechnic since the inception of the Mr. Samuel Sogunro’s administration has skyrocketed and unprecedented in the history of the institution .

The unions went further to categorize the cases of victimization by the management into three categories.

In category A are the trio of Mrs. Rasheedat O. Abudu, Mr. Adeniji Yusuf and Mr. Kareem Arigbabu who were allegedly victimized through interdiction and suspension.

In Category B, which is demotion cases, are Pharm. Oluseye Ero-Phillips, Mr. Abiodun Awoyemi, Mr. Ogungbayibi Adebayo, Mr. Ayanda Abiodun, Mr. Ibuowo Jelili, Mr. Adeniji Yusuf and Mr. Abimbola Alawada, Mr. Samuel O. Ogunsanya, Mr. Balogun and four (4) others.

In category C are staff members who were allegedly disengaged illegally by the management. The victims are Mrs. Ogunbambi-Ibrahim Muinat, Mr. Semiu Akinlawon Fasasi, Mrs. Oluwayemisi O. Olabisi and Mrs. Abisola Afolabi and Engr. Salami Olugbenga.

The institution’s Deputy Registrar (Information)/Public Relations Officer, Mr Lanre Kuye, confirmed the appearance of both parties before the House committee to our reporter and stated that the committee directed both parties to maintain peace on the campus pending the outcome of the panel’s report.

“The management of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) and the representatives of the unions, on Wednesday, May 22,2019, appeared before the committee set up by the House to address the conflict between the two

“What happened was that the management and the representatives of the unions appeared before the House Committee that was asked by the Lagos State House of Assembly to look into the matter.

“We both presented our matters and the committee enjoined us to go back and maintain peace pending the outcome of its report on the matter which will be presented to the state government for implementation”, he stated.