RTEAN to engage retired police, army officers to sanitise motor parks in Anambra

The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has revealed plans to collaborate with the state government to sanitise motor parks by engaging the services of retired police and army officers, among other personnel, to man the motor-parks in Anambra State.

RTEAN’s chairman in Anambra State, Comrade Kingsley Maduagwu, who spoke at the state headquarters of the association, at Arroma Junction, Awka, on Saturday, accused other transport operations groups of fanning embers of discord and sponsoring crises in RTEAN, with a view to “hijacking the activities of the association for pecuniary reasons.”

He said that the state chapter appreciated the efforts of the National President and Secretary of RTEAN, Alhaji Musa Mohammed and High Chief Henry Ejiofor for making it possible for peace to return to the state chapter where traducers had allegedly exploited.

Noting that RTEAN is empowered by the constitution “to have absolute control of authority over all motor-park activities throughout Nigeria, subject to the law or by-law of the country, Comrade Maduagwuna said such organisation like Urban Bus Drivers Association (UDWASS) and Motorcycles Transport Union of Nigeria (MTUN), among others, were registered by same persons in different transport organisations to allegedly swindle unsuspecting members of the public.

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The RTEAN boss hinted that collection of approved tickets, emblems and other road user levies are restricted to the parks, pointing out that its members would not destroy vehicles or disrupt public peace in the name of chasing an alleged offender but work with decorum.

According to him, the absence of RTEAN had resulted in the purported attraction of derogatory tag of ‘agbero’ to road transport business, vowing that its return and expected cordial relationship with the state government and other relevant bodies would result give a better positive image to the transport sector.

Maduagwuna said RTEAN was established by Decree 22 of 1978 under the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime, as an offshoot of the Nigerian Motor Transport Owners of Nigeria (NMTOA) then led by its National President and Secretary respectively, Herbert Macaulay and Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

He hinted that the body is empowered to organise road safety campaign unilaterally or in collaboration with relevant establishments aimed at educating its members and operators.