Wale JAGUN & Oyindamola Enitan OGUNJOBI
-Gov. Sanwo-Olu, HOS to meet them Friday (today)
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has agreed to listen to the thousands of the students of the Lagos State Polytechnic on their demand for quick resolution to the lingering crisis between the institution’s management and the striking staff union members .
The students of the institution, led by their student union leaders, stormed the Lagos State Government Secretariat on Thursday, July 4, 2019, to protest the lingering face off between the management and the Union members, which, according to them, is disturbing their academics.
The protesting students, who put the government officials that attended to them at the state Assembly complex to task, gave ultimatum to the Speaker and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to see to it that the crisis is resolved by Monday, July 8, 2019.
The protest was led by the President, LASPOTECH Student Union Government (SUG), Comrade Akindele David, Speaker, Students’ Representative Council, Rt Hon. Balogun Babatunde Temidayo, and SUG Chief Judge, Justice Teslim Abiodun.
The students, at first, refused to discuss with the officials that attended to them on their arrival at the Assembly complex as they insisted that they would only speak with Gov. Sanwo-Olu or the Speaker of the State Assembly,Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa.
As early as 6am on Thursday, the students had started converging on the campus’ First Gate in readiness for the business of the day. They later stormed the main BRT terminal at Ikorodu garage to demand for buses to be released to them to convey them to the Government House at Alausa, Ikeja, for their protest.
The refusal of the Primero management to accede to their request caused panic as the students grounded activities at the Ikorodu garage.
After about two hours, they were able to secure a BRT bus and three other long red buses that conveyed them to their destination .
The students, numbering hundreds, stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex and the Lagos House(Governor’s Office) to demand for quick resolution of the crisis in their institution.
On their way back to their main campus in Ikorodu after having a fruitful discussion with top state officials, a section of the protesting students, led by the outgoing Speaker of the Students’ Union Government, Rt. Hon. Balogun, stopped the governor’s convoy at Ketu and insisted that the Governor should address them.
After few minutes of unsuccessful attempts by the Governor’s security team to disperse them, Governor Sanwo-Olu stepped out of the luxurious bus conveying him and other officials to briefly address the students.
The Governor asked the leaders of the students to meet him at his office on Friday (today) for discussion on their demands.
Meanwhile, during their protest at the state secretariat, the students’ leaders reflected their grievances over the situation on their campus.
They bemoaned the failure of the State government to urgently intervene in the crisis between the management and the Union members.
The students also accused the state government of insensitivity to the consequences of the crisis on their future due to its prolonged silence on the matter.
About five Permanent Secretaries, who were on ground to address the students, faced difficulty in convincing the students over their views on state government’s position on the crisis facing their institution .
The officials stated that the government was fully aware of the students’ plight over the incessant crisis and the recent closure of the institution’s gate by the striking staff members and the subsequent disruption of academics and other activities.
They further disclosed that the committee set up by the government to mediate in crises in state owned tertiary institutions by the Governor submitted its reports on Wednesday, July 3,2019.
Speaking with the Speaker of the Students’ Representative Council, Hon. Balogun, , he stated that :
“We showed our grievances to them. Though, five Permanent Secretraries attended to us. We gave them an ultimatum till Monday, July 8 to find a lasting solution to the matter and before we left the Secretariat, they had already fix a meeting with us for Friday (today) and they also promised to work towards the July 8 deadline”, he stated.
Speaking with the Chief Justice of the SUG, Justice Teslim, on their protest to the Assembly complex, he stated that :
“We were able to get their attentions. They have invited the students’ representatives to a meeting tomorrow (Friday) by 11am at the office of the Head of Service.
“We gave the House of Assembly till July 8th to get the problems confronting our institution resolved”.
The management and Union members of the Polytechnic have been at loggerheads over the implementation of the CONTISS 15 MIGRATION salary scheme for over two years and the crisis seems to have defied all solutions and interventions, prompting the protest by the students for urgent intervention from the state government .
The crisis assumed a panic dimension on Tuesday, July 2,2019, when the striking staff members locked the three main gates leading into the institution to prevent movement in and out of the campus’ premises and this provoked the intervention by the police who allegedly opened the main gate forcefully and dispersed the protesting staff members with tear gas.
