The national leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers has inaugurated a seven-man committee to manage the affairs of parks and garages in Osun State, following the suspension of the union’s activities by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The committee, led by Kazeem Oyewale, popularly known as Asiri Eniba, was inaugurated on Friday at the national headquarters of the union in the Garki area of Abuja.
The inauguration came after the Osun State Government suspended NURTW activities in motor parks across the state, citing the need to restore order and strengthen public security.
The state government, through the Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, also suspended the collection of levies in parks and directed security agencies to arrest anyone parading himself as an official or executive of the union in any motor park.
The suspension followed a violent clash between rival factions of the union in Osun, which caused panic among residents. The crisis reportedly started after a faction led by Asiri Eniba staged a protest against the leadership of the Osun NURTW Chairman, Nurudeen Alowonle.
The protesters, accompanied by police officers, moved through major roads in Osogbo before arriving at Old Garage Motor Park, where they met members of Alowonle’s faction. The confrontation later turned violent.
Reacting to the suspension, the National President of NURTW, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, said no state governor has the power to suspend the activities of the union.
Akinsanya, who was represented at the inauguration by his deputy, Aliyu Issa Ore, said the union was established by law and was not under the control of any state government.
Ore said the national leadership had made several efforts to reach the Osun leadership of the union but received no response.
“I have the mandate of the President to address you today as the leader of the NURTW in Nigeria. It would be recalled that in the last few months in Osun State, we lacked leadership of our union in Osun,” he said.
“Despite calling and sending a series of letters to invite our leadership in Osun, they failed to honour that letter, most especially we heard that they are on the run.
“We could not leave the activities of the union without having the leader on the ground. Today, we heard that the state governor in Osun suspended the activities of our union, which they don’t have that power.
“Not any single state governor has power to suspend the activities of the union, because we are not under any state. There is an Act that established the NURTW.”
Ore said the national leadership had, in the past, challenged similar suspension of NURTW activities in some states and won several cases.
He referred to similar issues in Oyo, Lagos and other states, saying the union’s immediate concern was to ensure that proper leadership was put in place in Osun.
He added that the inauguration of the caretaker committee became necessary because of the forthcoming governorship election in the state and the union’s existing Memorandum of Understanding with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
According to him, he had visited INEC on Thursday on the directive of the NURTW President.
“Most especially, we have MoU with INEC, of which I was in INEC yesterday, based on the directive of the president of our union. So, in view of this, we have to inaugurate the caretaker members, who are to mount the leadership of the NURTW, pending the time we resolve all issues attached to Osun,” he said.
“It is my singular honour to tell you and inform you that these are the leadership that will be leading our union activities in Osun. First, the chairman is Alhaji Kazeem Oyewale.”
The development has further deepened the leadership crisis within the Osun NURTW, with the national body insisting on its authority to install a caretaker leadership despite the state government’s suspension of union activities in motor parks.
The post “MC Oluomo Says Governors Lack Power To Suspend NURTW Activities” — Union Inaugurates Asiri Eniba-Led Committee For Osun Parks appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
