Leadership Crisis Sparks Tensions in National Transport Union

Tensions within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have intensified as the incumbent President, Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, vows to fiercely protect his leadership against alleged encroachments by members of the Lagos Park Management Committee, led by Tajudeen Agbede.

Speaking at a press conference entitled ‘Coup d’état in the NURTW’ held in Abuja yesterday, President Baruwa asserted, “We shall henceforth not hesitate to defend our mandate with the last drop of our blood.”

Baruwa accused the former president of the union, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, and the former National Vice President, Alhaji Tajudeen Badru Agbede, of unlawfully occupying the National Secretariat of the union for the past three weeks.

Calling upon the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olukayode Egbetokun and Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, to intervene in the matter, Baruwa remarked, “We urge the IGP and the DSS to rein in Yasin, Agbede, and their hired thugs.”

He expressed frustration that several attempts to resolve the issue, including lodging formal complaints with various Nigerian institutions, had yielded no positive results. Baruwa further alleged that Yasin had violated the union’s constitution by convening unauthorized meetings with select past leaders of the union.

“Yasin has summoned a meeting of all the state councils of the union here in Abuja today, September 12, 2023, with the aim of persuading them to abandon the mandate given to me and my colleagues,” Baruwa claimed.

He emphasized that any meeting convened by the board not properly constituted in accordance with Article 31 (a-e) of the union’s constitution is null and void. Baruwa underlined that only a court of competent jurisdiction can invalidate their mandate.

Consequently, Baruwa urged disgruntled members to adhere to the due process of a democratic society founded on the rule of law and resort to legal means. He cautioned that anything short of this could result in anarchy within the union.

The leadership crisis within the NURTW continues to draw attention, raising concerns about the potential for disruption in the transport sector and the need for swift resolution through established legal channels.