National leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, on Friday, set up and inaugurated a seven-man committee to manage the affairs of parks and garages in Osun State.
The committee, which will be led by Mr Kazeem Oyewale, popularly known as Asiri Eniba, was inaugurated at the NURTW headquarters located in Garki Area, Abuja.
The committee was set up following the suspension of activities of the union by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Governor Adeleke, through his Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, said NURTW’s activities were suspended in motor parks across the state as part of measures to restore order and strengthen public security.
He also ordered the suspension of the collection of levies in the parks and directed security agencies to arrest anyone parading as an official or executive of the union in any motor park.
Their activities were suspended following the clash involving rival factions across Osun motor parks, the development that created panic among residents some days ago.
The crisis started when a faction of the union led by Kazeem Oyewale 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 situation quickly turned violent as both groups engaged in a confrontation.
Reacting to the suspension, President of NURTW, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, shortly before inaugurating the committee, said the governor does not have the powers to suspend the union’s activities.
Akinsanya, who was represented by his Deputy, Aliyu Issa Ore, explained that they had in the past won several cases in different States regarding suspension of the union’s activities.
He said, “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.
“Despite calling and sending a series of letters to invite our leadership in Osun, which 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. We have one series of decrees.
“I know in Oyo, recently, in Lagos, in so many states, they turned the deaf ear to our pain. But that notwithstanding, the issue at stake is not that issue. What is paramount to us is to have our leadership on ground.”
Ore explained that it was imperative for the national leadership of the union to inaugurate the State leadership because of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
He added, “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.
“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.”
