LASPAGA Denies dissolution of Body by Industrial Court

The Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee, says its lawyers have been briefed regarding last week’s judgment which ordered the reinstatement of the of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the State.

LASPAGA added during its meeting on Tuesday at its secretariat in Akesan, that appropriate actions will be taken where necessary.

It also denied reports stating that the National Industrial Court dissolved its body in the judgment.

According to the ad-hoc Committee headed by a monarch, the Oniba of Iba, Sulaimon Raji, nowhere in that judgment did the Court dissolve it, as no such claim or relief was ever sought or made an issue before the Court.

The members of committee also passed a vote of no confidence on the state chairman of RTEAN.

on April 18 justice Maureen Esowe, whilst reinstating RTEAN which the state government purportedly dissolved in 2022, also nullified the state government’s appointment of a caretaker committee.

 

READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW….

RE: JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL COURT IN THE CASE OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA V THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE & 36 ORS.

A COMMUNIQUE BY LAGOS STATE PARKS AND GARAGES ADMINISTRATORS AD-HOC COMMITTEE ON MEDIA REPORTS IN RESPECT OF THE SAID JUDGMENT AND MATTERS ARISING

THEREFROM.

1. The Chairman and members of Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee, are compelled to issue this communiqué on the judgment of the National Industrial Court delivered on the 18th April, 2023 by Honourable Justice M.N. Esowe in Suit No. NICN/LA/381/2022: The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) v The Executive Governor of Lagos State & 36 Ors., in view of the various news reports circulating In the media in respect of the said judgment.

2. It has come to our knowledge that a great number of the media in their various reports on the said judgment, reported that the National Industrial Court by the said judgment had dissolved the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee.

3. It is in view of the apparent error and misinformation contained in the aforesaid media reports on the said judgment of the National Industrial Court and the attendant effects of the acceptance of same by the general public and our esteemed members as being the true position on whether the aforesaid judgment dissolved the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee, that it behoves on us and we hereby deem it fit to put the record straight, so that the general public and our esteemed members would be better and well informed of the true position on the matter, and importantly, to dowse any tension that may arise from the misinformation contained in the aforesaid media reports on the judgment.

4. We wish to state that such and every media report making the rounds and stating that the National Industrial Court by its said judgment dissolved the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee, is most Incorrect and a total misconception and
misinterpretation of the said judgment of the National Industrial Court, as nowhere in the said judgment did the National Industrial Court make any pronouncement dissolving the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee, moreso, as no such claim or relief for dissolution of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee was ever sought or ever made an issue before the Court.

5.

It is well established that a Court of law cannot grant what was not claimed or sought before it, consequently, the National Industrial Court did not grant or make any declaration or order dissolving the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee.

6. For clarification, the case put forward by the Claimant (RTEAN) before the National Industrial Court, upon which the reliefs sought were predicated, is that Lagos State Government dissolved the executives of RTEAN-Lagos State branch and appointed a caretaker committee to run its affairs and activities.

7. The declarations and orders sought by the Claimant were thus against the purported dissolution of RTEAN executives and the purported appointment of a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs and activities of RTEAN executives.

8. The Claimant never sought for any declaration or order for the dissolution of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee and we restate that no such declaration or order was ever made or granted by the Court contrary to the media reports making the rounds.

9. As a matter of fact, the name of Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee, as a body, was never mentioned by the Claimant in its processes or claim before the court, neither was the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee as a body ever made a party in the said action.

10. The position is that the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee is not dissolved and there is no order of court whatsoever which dissolved the Lagos State Parks and Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee.

11. Our lawyers had been briefed and appropriate actions will be taken on the subject matter where necessary.

12. We therefore appeal to all our members and the supporters of this

administration to maintain peace.

Yours faithfully,

Alhaji Abdulrahman O. Amusan Secretary-Lagos State Parks & Garages Administrators Ad-hoc Committee.