The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has said the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) should stop blackmailing the police for detaining the former president of the union, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa.
It said NLC’s indolence and lack of concern at the initial stage of the problems were responsible for the lingering crisis in the union
The Acting General Secretary, Comrade Kayode Agbeyangi, was reacting at the weekend to a statement credited to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) titled: ‘Bloodshed at NURTW National Secretariat: We urged caution but it was not heeded’. It was signed by the Deputy President, Comrade Kabir.
In the statement, the NLC condemned the police for arresting and detaining Alhaji Baruwa, whom the police accused of culpable homicide.
Agbeyangi expressed disappointment with the leadership of NLC for coming out with such a statement.
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He said the failure of leadership of the NLC to tackle the problems at the initial stage “is responsible for the persisting crisis the union is battling today.”
“These problems started about two years ago. The aggrieved members wrote letters to the NLC to intervene, but they were ignored. Some of these aggrieved members were expelled by the Baruwa administration. Our people complained to NLC, but nothing was done. When the aggrieved members could not get the attention of the NLC, they went to court to seek justice. Members from the Southwest approached the court to determine Baruwa’s eligibility for second term. The court adjourned hearing on the matter till October with an order that all the parties in the case should maintain status quo. But Baruwa ignored the order and started organising a kangaroo delegate conference. We brought these illegalities to the attention of the NLC, but they turned deaf hear, ” Agbeyangi further said.
He said it was regrettable that NLC was supporting Baruwa despite that his actions negated trade union standards.
Agbeyangi added: “I want to challenge the NLC to tell the whole world which body supervised the Baruwa so-called delegate conference? Were journalists (print and electronic) invited to cover the event? Is it proper to hold such event at night?”
On the arrest and detention of Baruwa, he hailed the police for doing a good job. “It is unfortunate that the NLC has taken their support for Baruwa to another lever that has blindfolded their sense of justice and fairness. They succeeded in ensuring that the police vacate the union environment. Last week, Baruwa came out to inform the whole world that he would shed blood.”