Leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW ) in Lagos State, including a former chairman of the state council of the union, Alhaji Rafiu Olorunwa, a former deputy chairman, Comrade Sunday Yusuff, the new chairman of the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Azeez Abiola have countered the claim that the state has pulled out of the NURTW activities in the state.
The union leaders, while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Lagos, said that the reaction was a result of the announcement by the suspended state chairman of the union, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as Oluomo that Lagos is no more part of NURTW.
They also reiterated that TOOAN remains an affiliate of the NURTW as directed by the state government that they should affiliate themselves with any of the two transport unions in the state.
Alhaji Olorunwa said, “My coming here is simple. There are lots of controversies that Lagos State has pulled out of the national leadership of NURTW. This is far from the fact. Some aggrieved members only pulled out We are still members of the union in Lagos State.”
Olorunwa, who serves as a Special Assistant to the National President of the union Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa also added that “NURTW is a big organization. It is bigger than any individual. Anybody can pull out. The majority of the members are still with NURTW. We are still part of the national body.
He also pointed out that ” There is no issue on the affiliation between NURTW and TOOAN. Nobody can cut off the ties between the two unions. There is a memorandum of understanding.
The state secretary of NURTW, Bankole Okuwaseyi also maintained that the “Majority of the union members are still with NURTW and we have not pulled out of the national body.”
The union scribe also added that members were withdrawn from the roads and motor parks in compliance with the directive of the union.
He however accused the Oluomo group, who claimed to have pulled out of NURTW of not handing over the properties of the union to the appropriate quarter, as directed by the union.
He further accused those, who pulled out of the union of “still going about collecting money from motorists without handing over NURTW properties as directed by the leadership in Abuja.”
Comrade Sunday Yusuff, a former deputy chairman of the NURTW in Lagos State, Comrade Sunday Yussuf, popularly known as Solution, said “We are still members of NURTW. and TOOAN is an affiliate of the union. The relationship between us is cordial. We don’t have any issue with the national body.”
The ousted chairman of TOOAN, Alhaji Murtala Lawal raised the alarm on the pitiable condition of NURTW members, since the pullout was announced.
Alhaji Lawal said that the Board of Trustees of TOOAN in the state-appointed Alhaji Azeez Abiola as the chairman of TOOAN before it was ratified by the NURTW leadership in Abuja.
“If anybody should raise an eyebrow at all, it should be me. I was just appointed as the TOOAN chairman when the NURTW leadership dissolved my executive with a promise to return us in about two weeks.”
It is almost three years now and they have not returned it but, when the BOT appointed Alhaji Abiola as the new chairman, I supported it wholeheartedly as a peace-loving person.”
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