The Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, has issued a directive for the suspension of all activities carried out by the factions of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) until a mutually agreeable resolution can be achieved.
This directive was communicated through a letter signed by the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Mr. Emmanuel Igbinosun, acting on behalf of the minister.
The letter was addressed to the National President of the Union, and it stems from a meeting held with NURTW executives.
The letter is titled ‘Leadership Of The National Union Road Transport Workers (NURTW) And Industrial Coup D’état By The Former President Of The Union, Alh Najeem Usman Yasin And His Rampaging Illegal Militia: A Clarion Call For Intervention.’ It emphasized that both factions involved in the dispute have been duly informed about this decision.
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The letter stated, “Following the meeting held with you on the aforementioned matter, I am instructed to inform you that, in accordance with the authority vested in the Honourable Minister of Labour by Section 5 of the Trade Dispute Act CAP T8 Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment has intervened in this dispute.”
“In view of the above, the Honourable Minister has directed the suspension of all further activities by the factions of the NURTW pending an amicable resolution of the dispute.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all activities in furtherance of the election of new executives and related to the day-to-day operations of the union are suspended henceforth.
“Further directives would be communicated to you on or before Friday, October 13, 2023. This information has also been communicated to the other faction in the dispute.
“Please accept the assurances of the kind regards of the Honourable Minister.”
Recently, a segment of the union, under the leadership of Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede from Lagos State, forcibly seized control of the National Secretariat of the union, which is situated in Garki 2.
They ousted the incumbent President, Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa.
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In light of the ongoing leadership dispute within the union, Baruwa and three other national officers found themselves detained by the police in Abuja.
The meeting was also attended by the faction led by Agbede, which has affiliations with Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo. MC Oluomo previously led the now-disbanded Lagos Park Management Committee and is an ally of President Bola Tinubu.
Earlier this month, an incident occurred in Abuja where a middle-aged man was assaulted by members of the union who were loyal to MC Oluomo.
According to SaharaReporters’ sources, the incident took place near the Conoil filling station in Area 1, Abuja.
The unidentified young man was apprehended, and his vehicle was confiscated by the union’s task force.
Subsequently, he was taken to the Area 1 office and asked to pay a fine of N20,000 for allegedly transporting passengers along the road.
Trouble escalated when the man vehemently denied the accusation, insisting that he had not been carrying passengers in his vehicle.
The situation deteriorated into a physical altercation as the man and the branch leader engaged in a fistfight.
Other union members joined in the brawl, beating the young man severely until he was nearly unconscious.
They dragged him along the ground and struck him with sticks and iron rods. It was only due to the timely intervention of bystanders that he was rescued from the assailants who had threatened his life.