The Lagos State Government has revealed plans to appeal the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) judgement banning the Lagos State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee.
OsunDaily News recalls that the NICN sitting in Lagos had on Tuesday nullified the appointment of the committee headed by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.
Justice Maureen Esowe in his judgement held that the suspension of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state was illegal, and ordered the reinstatement of RTEAN.
Esowe also restrained the state government from further meddling in the activities of the union’s executives.
However, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been said to have applied for the Certified True Copy of the court’s judgment, with the intention to appeal.
In a statement by the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Justice in the state, Grace Alo, the Lagos government said the Park Management Committee was not a party to RTEAN’s suit.
The government clarified that the State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee was set up for the operations of commercial road transport workers’ activities within garages and motor parks and not a caretaker committee to run the affairs of RTEAN 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 would however be recalled that the Lagos State government had suspended the operations of RTEAN in September 2022 and constituted a 35-man caretaker committee to take over the operations of the union.
It was following that development, the RTEAN in a suit marked NICN/LA/381/2022, had challenged the dissolution of its executive council by the Lagos State government.
It was learned that the first three of the 27 defendants in the suit were Lagos State Governor, the state’s Attorney-General; and the governor’s Special Adviser on Transportation, Sola Giwa.
