Laspotech Staff Unions Dare Lagos State On Appointment Of Rector

 

                     Staff unions at the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) have vowed to resist attempts by the state government to appoint a new rector for the institution outside the polytechnic system.
The polytechnic is in the process of making history again with the appointment of the 10th Rector who will steer the ship for another term of five years from June, 1st 2015 when the five year single tenure of the current administration under the Dr. Abdulazeez Lawal will end.

The unions in a statement jointly signed by the chairmen of all the unions; Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, (ASUP), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), Akinkugbe Abiola, Fasasi Semiu and Awoyemi Abiodun respectively said it strongly opposed to a choice  outside the polytechnic system.

The unions added that experience over time has shown that externally sourced principal officers imposed on the polytechnic before now have exhibited lack of understanding of the polytechnic system.

The unions warned the state government not to mistaken the existing good working relationship with staff as a mark of weakness or cowardice.

“In January, 2011, the then Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, who represented the state government at a joint meeting of the unions in Lagos State Polytechnic and the state government, signed an agreement to implement the federal government/Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics agreement in all its totality, where the appointment of an internally generated Rector is contained,”

The statement further added that the staff unions in the polytechnic are not unaware of the total neglect/contempt and selective favouritism practiced by the state government against the polytechnic.

“This is revealed by the fact that, for sixteen years of democratic rule in Nigeria and in Lagos state, the moderator/visitor to the polytechnic had never made an appearance during any of her convocation ceremonies even as at the last convocation on held on 9th April, 2015.

“The staff unions of the Lagos State Polytechnic will resist vigorously with every means available to them, any further attempt at testing their will,” the statement reads in part.

However, the staff union explained that the unions are resilient in maintaining industrial peace and harmony within and without the institution if given the right environment and incentives.