By Cecilia Ogezi (Correspondent, Abuja)
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has blamed the recent crisis in the union on alleged interference by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
The road transport worker body therefore urged the NLC as an umbrella body that represents all Nigerian Labour groups to retrace it's steps and desist from further alleged blackmailing of the union.
A clash between the factional groups of the NURTW at its National Headquarters in Abuja led to the death of one person, while several others were injured on September 13, 2023.
The incident led to the arrest of the former president of the union, Tajudeen Baruwa and 21 others and also the recovery of three rifles by the police.
Speaking for the first time on the crisis, the National Executive Council of the union said the NLC went overboard with its alleged involvement in the internal affairs of the union.
Reading the reports of the union’s activities at the NEC meeting in Abuja, the acting General Secretary of the NURTW, Kayode Agbeyangi, said the NLC breached its constitution by trying to impose the former president of the union, Tajudeen Baruwa, on them.
He said, “The recent outbreak of violence at the National Secretariat of the Union is due to the biased interference of the NLC for selfish reasons. Like the proverbial sympathizer who cried more than the bereaved, the NLC has gone overboard in expressing their interest in our internal affairs, and took a one-sided decision that further threatened our effort to unite all interests and move the Union forward.
"It is very sad and unfortunate that the umbrella body of workers that is expected to protect the welfare and right of all workers has turned itself into a tool used for an outbreak of violence, favouritism and flagrant abuse of constitutional provisions of the union by attempting to impose on the union the erstwhile President, Tajudeen Baruwa, whose tenure expired on 28th August 2023.”
He called on the NLC to respect the union’s decision to democratically elect their leaders.
Agbeyangi said, “We call on the Joe Ajaero-led NLC to discard their bias and ethnic sentiments towards the former General Secretary who is their kinsman, and refrain from further blackmailing the union in their desperate bid to authenticate illegality.
“We expect them to respect our determination to ensure the emergence of a democratically elected National leadership for NURTW at the forthcoming Quadrennial Delegates Conference.”
Reacting to the allegations, the NLC spokesperson, Benson Upah, described the allegations as fallacious. He said the NLC doesn’t direct the affairs of affiliate unions.
Upah said, “The allegations are fallacious and laced with malice. It is completely unfounded. We do not run our affiliate unions but whenever they come to us to help resolve some issues, with facts and figures, we intervene dispassionately. Whoever made that statement is very unfair to the leadership of the NLC.” NNL.
