On Tuesday, the National Industrial Court in Lagos ordered the reinstatement of the operations of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, in Lagos State and nullified the state government’s appointment of a caretaker committee on transportation.
Justice Maureen Esowe made the order while delivering judgment in the suit marked NICN/LA/381/2022, filed by RTEAN to challenge its dissolution by the Lagos State Government in October 2022.
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.
Justice Esowe, in her judgment, dismissed the defendants’ preliminary objections, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.
The Judge held that the act of the Lagos State in suspending RTEAN’s operations in the state and setting up a caretaker committee was unconstitutional.
The judge rejected the argument by the state government that it suspended RTEAN over a fracas, saying rather than suspend the union, the state should have got the police involved.
Justice Esowe restrained the Lagos State government from further interfering with the operations of the union’s exco.
