Oyo RTEAN hails court verdict in its favour to own, operate motor parks

OYO State Council of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has hailed the court judgment which gave it a go ahead to own and operate motor parks in the state, describing the verdict delivered by Justice R. A. Akintola in its favour as “victory at last” for the Rule of Law.

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) had taken RTEAN to court in 2016, alleging that it was an unregistered association operating with unknown officers and could, therefore, not own or operate motor parks anywhere in the state.

The State’s Chairman of RTEAN, Prince Kehinde Adeyemo, expressed his joy at the weekend while addressing a press conference at the body’s state office in Ibadan.

Adeyemo said with the verdict now delivered in favour of RTEAN at long last, members and leaders of association would now be free from long years of persecution and physical attacks by the members and agents of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on the instruction of their leaders.

The RTEAN boss, while lamenting years of persecution and attack of his members and leaders, said with the victory his members would now be from such harrowing experience and can now operate freely without any molestation.

He also expressed joy that despite the fact that he never interfaced at any time nor knew the judge ever before, she (judge) had proved that judiciary remained the last hope of the common man by ensuring that justice was not misplaced in her ruling.

Speaking further, Adeyemo maintained that members of RTEAN were not and also do not engage in fomenting trouble, recalling that founding fathers of the association, which transformed from Nigerian Motor Transport Owners (NMTO), including Herbert Macaulay as its first National President and Chief Obafemi Awolowo as National Secretary, among others “are all learned and people of good names in the society.”

“We are not hooligans. We don’t cause trouble. Our founding fathers are all learned and people of good names in the society. We are only building on their establishment,” he said.