The chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State Council, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo), has replied the query of the national body of the union over alleged insubordination.
Akinsanya, in a letter, addressed to the union’s national headquarters, a copy of which was seen by the Tribune Online on Tuesday, expressed commitment to the laws guiding the union’s operations and vowed to “never do anything to tarnish the image of the union or bring the union back to the inglorious position of being branded as thugs and disturbers of the public peace in Lagos.”
On the alleged appointment of Alhaji Azeez Abiola as the chairman of Lagos State NURTW Tricycle Operators, Akinsanya said Abiola was announced on February 9 in Abuja as one of the state trustees and chairman of Zone ‘C’ Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TOOAN) of NURTW and not overall chairman of TOOAN in the state.
“But unfortunately, before we got back to Lagos, Abiola had been parading himself on social media as the new state chairman of TOOAN and posting a letter of appointment, which I was not aware of, to that effect.
“This is in spite of the fact that the legality of TOOAN is an issue at the National Industrial Court and the Lagos State Council is presently funding the defence in an effort to protect the corporate image of the union,” he said.
Akinsanya denied knowledge of intimidation or assault on Abiola or any of his supporters.
As a trustee, Abiola, he said, has the right of entry to the state secretariat and has never been denied the right.
Akinsanya said: “It will be demeaning of me to instruct people to beat up his supporters and I never did. On the release of the former state secretariat to Abiola, Mr President (Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa), will recall that the former state secretariat situated on 360, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Abule-Egba, Lagos, has already been contracted to the Amalgamated Mega-City Transport Limited for the use of the BRT operations and they have taken over the place since and are paying us rent. Income from the venture is routinely sent to the national headquarters. There is, therefore, no former state secretariat to hand over as same is contractually obligated to the transport firm to his (Abiola’s) knowledge and all our knowledge.
“The decision to rearrange the tricycle segment of our operations was reached by the state executive with the knowledge and approval of the union president (Alhaji Baruwa). The initial plan was a three-zone arrangement, but we accommodated the wishes of the President (Baruwa) for a five-zone arrangement and his nomination of two zonal chairmen.
“The action is neither illegal nor unconstitutional as it is within our constitutional rights as the elected leaders of the state council and it was done with the concurrence of the National President (Baruwa). It was never to create rivalry or disharmony, and until now, the peace that we have in Lagos State council was never experienced by previous administrations.”
On the allegation of using thugs to forcibly take over branches of his perceived enemies, Akinsanya said nothing of such ever happened since he took over.
“One of the major achievements of this present executive under my leadership in Lagos State is the promotion of peace and prevention of forceful takeover of branches. If any of the zonal chairmen, to whom the branches belong, however, bring the issue to our attention, same shall be investigated openly and the cause/reason determined,” he said
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