NURTW S’West leaders slam NLC over transport union’s crisis

NURTW S’West leaders slam NLC over transport union’s crisis

 

Some leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the South-West have blamed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by Joe Ajaero over the lingering leadership crisis with the transport body.

The leaders gave the position in a statement issued on Tuesday under the auspices of the South-West NURTW Forum and signed by Alhaji Nosiru Komolafe, a two-term National Treasurer of the union.

They specifically accused the NLC of bias, claiming it decided to take sides when the crisis started.

They stated that if the leadership of the NLC had played its role as unbiased umpire the crisis could have been nipped in the bud.

This, they said, was not done and it allowed the crisis to fester, resulting in litigations and creation of factions.

Komolafe recalled, “The the union under Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin adopted a rotational presidency so as to give all the six geopolitical zones a sense of belonging.

“And the whole arrangements started with Yoruba and Baruwa was put forward as the Yoruba candidate, despite serious opposition from Ogun State council, his home state.”

Komolafe explained that at Baruwa’s inauguration as president in 2019, all the six states in South West were under the umbrella of the union.

“But shortly after resuming office, he started causing confusion between the union and various state governments and because of his uncompromising attitude, nearly all the state governments in South West were forced to proscribe the union in their various states (Oyo,Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Lagos).

“So, by the time he was preparing for a second term, there was no union in the South West again to endorse him.”

He said the aggrieved members of the union from Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states wrote a series of protest letters/petitions to the NLC, stating all the alleged atrocities of Baruwa, but ignored them until the problems escalated.

He said, “And to our surprise, since the beginning of the crisis, the NLC has pitched its tent with Baruwa against the rest of union members.

“The NLC that’s supposed to be an impartial arbiter decided to take sides contrary to the disposition of the past leaders of NLC such as Pascal Bafyau, Abdulwahid Omar and Adams Oshiomhole had waded into the union crisis without necessarily aligning with any faction but the reverse is the case under Joe Ajaero who wants to install Baruwa at all costs because of his own selfish and sinister motive.”

According to him, members of the union, especially in the South-West cannot endure “another four years of suffering and stagnation under Baruwa, hence the decision to endorse Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya as our candidate for the presidency.”