Osun ALGON Appoints Caretaker Committees For Transport Unions Amid NURTW Crisis

The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Osun State Chapter, has constituted caretaker management committees for transport unions across the state following the leadership crisis that engulfed the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The decision was reached after an emergency meeting held on Wednesday by the chairmen of the 30 local government councils and Ife East Area Office, Modakeke, with leaders of transport unions, including motorcycle and tricycle operators.

In a communiqué issued after the meeting, ALGON said the move became necessary to safeguard public safety and ensure the uninterrupted operation of transport services across the state following the suspension of the NURTW leadership and transport union activities.

According to the statement, jointly signed by ALGON Chairman, Hon.Samuel Idowu Abiodun, General Secretary, Hon (Barr) Olubisi Oladosu and Public Relations Officer, Hon Mufutau Adegbite, the local government chairmen elected under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), resolved that the crisis within the NURTW had become a security concern capable of endangering commuters and transport operators.

ALGON maintained that the suspension of the union leadership, which it said was carried out by the council chairmen in line with their constitutional responsibilities over public motor parks as provided under Paragraph 1(e) of the Fourth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), would remain in force pending further review.

To prevent a vacuum in the administration of transport services, the association announced the appointment of caretaker management committees for the NURTW, the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), and the motorcycle and tricycle unions.

For the NURTW, Chief Kazeem Oyewale was named Chairman, while Mutiu Ayinde and Luqman Ahmed were appointed Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

The RTEAN caretaker committee has Rasheed Ayinde as Chairman, Mufutau Adebisi as Secretary and Wahab Maruf Dodo as Treasurer.

Similarly, the motorcycle and tricycle unions will be led by Ismaila Raimi as Chairman, Adebayo Tajudeen as Secretary and Tajudeen Akeem as Treasurer.

ALGON explained that the caretaker committees would serve pending further consultations with the national leaderships of the affected transport unions for the emergence of substantive state executives.

The association directed that all union properties be handed over to the newly appointed caretaker committees and appealed to security agencies to facilitate a peaceful transition.

It also commended the Nigeria Police Force for its swift intervention during Monday’s crisis, saying the prompt response prevented bloodshed and restored normalcy across motor parks in the state.

ALGON further called on transport workers, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to cooperate with the caretaker committees to ensure smooth operations in motor parks across the 30 local government areas and Ife East Area Office.

The association added that it would continue engaging relevant stakeholders with a view to finding a lasting solution to the leadership crisis within the transport unions.