S’West NURTW chairmen slam Baruwa over accusations against Gbajabiamila

S’West NURTW chairmen slam Baruwa over accusations against Gbajabiamila

 

Chairmen of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the South-West states have condemned Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, the embattled former president of the union over what they term wrong accusation.

Baruwa had in a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter to President Bola Tinubu accused the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, of backing Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya’s presidency union.

The South-West chairmen comprise Alhaji Mustafa Adekunle (Sego) of Lagos, Alhaji Mustapha Ismail Adewale (Yaro) of Ogun, Chief Joseph Falope (Olofooro) of Ekiti and Comrade Ademola Odudu of Ondo State.

The chairmen described Baruwa as “a drowning fellow who would cling to anything to survive” and accused him of fabricating falsehood to gain public sympathy.

They pointed out that Baruwa’s team had previously blamed President Bola Tinubu and former NURTW President, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, for their problems, only to now shift the blame to Gbajabiamila.

Putting the record straight, the chairmen emphasized that the problem in the union stemmed from Baruwa’s disregard for a court order.

“In 2023, some aggrieved members of the union in South West had instituted a legal action at a National Industrial Court in Lagos, challenging his competency/ legitimacy to contest for second term in office and the presiding judge in her wisdom ordered parties in the matter to maintain the status quo ante belum pending determination of the case challenging Baruwa’s eligibility for a second term.

“However, Baruwa out of desperation ignored the order and conducted a kangaroo delegate conference without recourse to the court’s position.”

The chairmen claimed that Baruwa ignored the popular saying that ‘he who comes to equity must come with clean hands’.

They expressed regrets that Baruwa, who they claimed should be in jail for contempt of court, was instead accusing innocent people of being the problems in the union.

They maintained that the people of the South West, who nominated Baruwa in 2019, rejected him again in 2023 after serving four years.

The chairmen stated that Baruwa destroyed the union during his first four years in office and could not be trusted with another four years by members of the union in the South West

“It should be noted that by the time he assumed office in 2019, all the six state councils in the South West were intact and under the umbrella of the union.

“But barely one year in office, Baruwa had through his incompetence destroyed the union and members of the union in the region suffered the consequences. In fact, we are yet to get Oyo and Osun states back into the NURTW family.”