Threatens strike after seven-day ultimatum

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Southwest on Tuesday urged Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to revert the proscription decision on the union’s activities in the state.

It issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government to also revert the appointment of ex-chairman of a faction of the union in the state, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, as the chairman, Disciplinary Committee for the motor parks.

The union threatened that NURTW will begin strike if the decision is not rescinded by the government

At a briefing at the zonal secretariat complex in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the union accused the governor of “deliberate attempt to take away our means of livelihood.”

Those at the briefing included Southwest Zonal Chairman Mr. Olamilekan Folorunso, Deputy Chairman Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, National Deputy General-Secretary and Chairman, Caretaker Committee Oyo State chapter, Comrade Kayode Agbeyangi and a Zonal Trustee, Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle aka Sego.

The speech was read by Agbeyangi.

According to them, NURTW is a trade union recognised by the constitution and extant provision of labour laws.

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They described the interference as undue and a violation of members’ freedom of operating as a union.

The union urged the government to stop interfering in the affairs of the union and allow the NURTW to carry out its legitimate duties.

Agbeyangi condemned Governor Seyi Makinde’s imposition of park managers to run the operations of the union at parks.

He also accused the governor of acting the script of some individuals to truncate the activities of the union and arrest its leaders.

Agbeyangi alleged: “It has come to the notice of our union that the governor in cahoots with an expelled member, “Auxiliary”, has been planning and making a clandestine move to arrest our leaders for state-sponsored killings of individuals, thereby taking them out of circulation.

“We are hereby using this medium to ask the government to stop undue and unwarranted interference in the affairs of the union. It should allow the NURTW to carry out its legitimate duties without let or hindrance.”

He stressed that the government should allow the activities of the union.

“The governor should kindly allow the activities of the union in the state and rescind the introduction of the park management scheme within one week, to save thousands of our members and their families from hardship,” Agbeyangi said.