Osun Govt suspends NURTW activities as ALGON appoints caretaker committees

The Osun State Government has ordered an immediate halt to all activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, across motor parks in the state.

This is as the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Osun State chapter, aligned with the All Progressives Congress, APC, announced caretaker management committees for transport unions as part of measures aimed at restoring order following a leadership crisis.

According to a statement signed by Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment on Thursday, Governor Ademola Adeleke issued the directive after a meeting of the Osun State Security Council in Osogbo, where security agencies reviewed the situation arising from the dispute within the transport union.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Armed Forces, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Correctional Service, NDLEA, NAPTIP and Amotekun Corps, among others.

According to a statement, Governor Adeleke instructed the police and other security agencies to stop all NURTW activities in motor parks across the state while allowing transport services to continue.

The statement added that the directive also suspended the collection of levies in motor parks and authorised security agencies to arrest anyone presenting themselves as officials or executives of the union in defiance of the order.

Governor Adeleke said, “I hereby direct the Police and other security agents to stop all activities of the union in all our parks across the state. I’m not saying you should close the parks, but you should not allow anyone to operate in the parks in the name of the union. Anyone found contravening this order should be arrested for possible prosecution for disturbance of public peace.”

The Governor directed the immediate establishment of a Rapid Response Squad comprising various security agencies to enforce compliance with the directive.

According to the statement, security commanders present at the meeting assured the Governor of their commitment to implementing the order.

Meanwhile, ALGON said it had, after consultations with branches of the NURTW, the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, motorcycle and tricycle unions, as well as traditional rulers and other stakeholders, constituted caretaker management committees pending further consultations with the national leadership of the unions.

The appointments were contained in a communiqué signed by the trio of Samuel Idowu Abiodun, Chairman, ALGON, Osun State, Olubisi Oladosu, General Secretary, ALGON, Osun State and Mufutau Adegbite, PRO, ALGON, Osun State.

The caretaker appointments named Chief Kazeem Oyewale as Chairman of the NURTW committee, with Mutiu Ayinde as Secretary and Luqman Ahmed as Treasurer.

For RTEAN, Rasheed Ayinde was named Chairman, Mufutau Adebisi Secretary and Wahab Maruf Dodo Treasurer, while Ismaila Raimi, Adebayo Tajudeen and Tajudeen Akeem were appointed Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer respectively for the motorcycle and tricycle unions.

The council chairmen said “the appointments followed an emergency meeting held on 22 July with transport union representatives after the leadership crisis.”

ALGON stated that “the dispute within the transport union had become a security concern affecting transport operators and members of the public who depend on public transport. The earlier suspension of the union leadership would remain in force pending further review, while the caretaker committees would oversee transport services temporarily.”

The local government body also directed that union properties be handed over to the caretaker committees and appealed to security agencies to facilitate a peaceful transition.

It commended the Nigeria Police Force for what it described as a swift response that prevented violence and restored calm at motor parks.

ALGON called on transport stakeholders, commuters and security agencies to cooperate with the caretaker committees and maintain surveillance across motor parks in the state’s 30 local government areas and Ife East Area Office, stating that consultations would continue to achieve a lasting resolution of the transport union leadership crisis.