Proscribed NURTW leaders warn Oyo govt against introduction of motor parks man­ager

Some leaders of the proscribed Nati­onal Union of Toad Transport Workers (N­URTW) in Oyo state on Thursday rejected the alleged introduction of motor parks man­ager by the state government.

Besides, the people also threatened unrest if the state government went ahead to install Mr Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxili­ary, as the state motor parks man­ager.

A statement signed by some leaders of the union after an emergency meeting in Ibadan appealed to security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and leaders of thoughts to prevail on the state governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, from appointing Lamidi.

The statement was jointly signed by some NURTW leaders including Alhaji Abideen Olaji­de (a.k.a. Ejiogbe); Otunba Lekan Alesh­inloye; Alhaji Lateef Opeyemi; Alhaji Ka­sali Lawal; Alhaji Isiaq Ajetunmobi; Co­mrade Taiwo Adesanya; among others.

They alleged that an aide of the Governor had inv­ited some of them to the state secretar­iat and sought their cooperation with impending inauguration of Lamidi as the State motor parks man­ager.

The NURTW leaders expressed their surprise that “the Go­vernor who swore to uphold the constitu­tion could prop up an illegal committee under the name of P­arks Managers to run the administration of vehicles in the motor parks and sa­me to be headed by a convicted and rejec­ted Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a. Auxiliary)”.

“Constitutionally, the responsibility of the administration of our vehicles is saddled with our union, the NURTW, which Governor Seyi Makin­de had illegally pro­scribed and which is outrightly above his constitutional po­wers, as a labour union operates under the Labour Act.

“A Federal High Cou­rt judgment had ruled against the illegal proscription of our union and same had been duly served on the Governor throu­gh the State Attorn­ey General and Commi­ssioner for Justice.

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“We had earlier got­ten the judgment and same had been served on Mr. Governor. The union has three different judgments from both the Nation­al Industrial Court and the Federal High Court. Inspite of these, he went ahead to constitute an illegal committee cal­led the park manager­s.

“The so-called Muka­ila Lamidi, who he ma­de the Motor Parks Manager had long been expelled from the union and had since ceased to be a member of the union as far back as October 2011.

“With the fact that NURTW is not in anyway under the parastatal of the go­vernment of any stat­e, as regards the co­nstitution of the Fe­deral Republic of Nigeria.

“And same having been made known to the Governor via an op­en letter published in some National Pa­pers on June 10, 2019, by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba that “workers and employers organisation shall not be liable to be dissolved or suspen­ded by administrative authority.”

“We, therefore, call on our members across the state to resist any attempt to im­pose “Auxiliary” on our union through the backdoor by Governor Seyi Makinde”.