The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NURTW

  • Fayose to drivers’ union: Nobody is above the law

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, on Thursday warned drivers’ unions against breaking the law, stressing that “nobody is above the law in the state.”

    The governor handed down the warning at a meeting with members of the Ekiti State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at the union’s secretariat along Poly Road in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    To demonstrate his seriousness towards ensuring peace among drivers’ unions, Fayose promised to donate a brand new bus each to NURTW and Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) if no violence is recorded among members of the unions in the next one year.

    He urged drivers to be law abiding so as to avoid having problems with law enforcement officers.

    The governor also approved a N5 million revolving loan for the drivers’ wives as requested by the members through the chairman to the admiration of all.

    Fayose, who said the country, will only progress if the leaders will humble themselves and come down to the level of the people they govern, described driving as a noble profession.

    He said: “I am in your hands, my own governance is about you, whether they call me driver, senior driver or former driver, that is their own cup of tea.

    “Driving is a noble profession. If you don’t need a driver, you can use your legs, if you don’t like drivers, you can climb okada.”

    In his welcome speech, the state NURTW Chairman, Clement Adekola, thanked Fayose for always standing by them, assuring the governor of the union’s loyalty.

     

  • Kidnapping: Oyo Assembly summons police, NURTW, others

    The Oyo State House of Assembly on Thursday summoned security agencies, the National Union of Road Transport Workers and other stakeholders to explain the roles in combating kidnapping and other crimes in the state.

    This was contained in a ‎motion moved by Hon. Adeyemi Oyatokun and seconded by Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji during a plenary session presided over by the Speaker of the House, Hon. Michael Adeyemo.

    Those summoned included – the Nigeria Police Force, NURTW, Road Transport Employers’ Association (RTEAN), Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association of Nigeria (ACCOMORAN) and Ministry of Transport.

    They are to appear before the House on November 10.

    In his motion entitled:” Micra Terror: Stemming the evil tide of kidnapping in Oyo State,” ‎Hon. Oyatokun urged the Ministry of Information and other information media to sensitize the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious persons or movement to law enforcement agencies.

    He recalled that two weeks ago a woman was ‎kidnapped while boarding commercial cab from Bodija to Ojoo before his corpse was later discovered.

    “This acts shows that the security operatives in the state are not performing their duty and the transport unions too have failed to fish out the evil perpetrators among them,” he said.

    The lawmaker urged the state Ministry of Transport to strictly enforce proper numbering and painting of commercial vehicles and tricycles with the official commercial colour of the state.

  • 10 injured in Ondo NURTW clash

    10 injured in Ondo NURTW clash

    Commercial activities in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State were disrupted yesterday for four hours, following a supremacy battle among members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

    Ten people were injured as members attacked themselves with cutlasses.

    Residents and traders at First Molac Hotel area and Ehinogbe Street, where the clash took place, quickly closed for the day.

    It was gathered that the clash was allegedly sponsored by some politicians preparing for next year’s governorship election.

    The politicians were said to have directed their thugs to chase away the executive led by Kolade Jasper.

    Residents said trouble started when a middle-aged man, simply identified as Jungunnu, declared himself the chairman.

    They said the self acclaimed chairman moved around the town with some motorcyclists.

    It was gathered that Jungunnu allegedly led his boys to First Molac Hotel area, where the Akure Car Park is located and attacked the union leaders.

    The fight was said to have spread to Ehinogbe, where it took the intervention of mobile policemen for normalcy to return.

    Jasper said he has not received any letter from the national leaders that the local chapters should be dissolved.

    He noted that Jungunnu was not a member of NURTW and appealed to Governor Olusegun Mimiko to rescue the union from miscreants.

    Police spokesman Femi Joseph said the police were on top of the situation. He appealed to the warring factions to maintain peace.

  • 10 injured as NURTW members clash in Ondo

    10 injured as NURTW members clash in Ondo

    Commercial activities in Owo local government area of Ondo state was Wednesday disrupted for four hours following a clash between members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) over attempt by a faction of the union to take over the leadership of the union.
    During the melee, members were shooting sporadically and attacking themselves with cutlasses. No few than 10 people were confirmed injured.

    Residents and traders around First Molac hotel area and Ehinogbe Street where the NURTW members clashed quickly closed for the day.

    The Nation learnt that the attempt to forcefully take over the NURTW leadership was allegedly sponsored by some politicians who are preparing for the next year governorship election.

    The said politicians were said to have directed their political thugs to chase away the current executive leadership of NURTW in the council and led by Mr. Kolade Jasper from the town.

    Trouble started when a group led by a middle aged man, simply identified as “Jungunnu” declared himself the new chairman of the union.

    Eyewitnesses said the self acclaimed Chairman was said to have been moving around the whole town with some Okada riders, thereby declaring himself to the residents as the new council Chairman of the NURTW Union.

    It was gathered that Jungunnu allegedly led his boys to First Molac hotel area where the Akure Car Park is located and attacked the Union leaders.

    The brawl was said to have spread to Ehinogbe area where he took the intervention of mobile Policemen before normalcy was returned to the ancient town.

    When contacted the current NURTW chairman of the council, Mr. Kolade Jasper said he has not received any letter from the national leaders that the local chapters of NURTW should be dissolved.

    Jasper noted that the leader of group, who wanted to forcefully take over from him, was not a member of NURTW.

    He however, appealed to the governor, Olusegun Mimiko to rescue them from those he referred to as miscreants who are not members of the union but now being pushed to disturb the peace of the town.

    Reacting to the development, the State PPRO, Mr Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident but said the police was on top of the situation saying, an order from the state government gave credence to non dissolution of local chapters of NURTW in the state.

    Joseph however appealed to the warring factions to maintain peace.

  • NURTW to build hospital, filling station

    NURTW to build hospital, filling station

    The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Lagos State chapter has promised to build a hospital and a mega filling station to take care of its members.

    Its chairman Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, made this known yesterday in his re-election acceptance speech.

    Member of the Lagos Council overwhelmingly endorsed Agbede for another Four-year term during the eighth Quadrennial Delegate Conference held at the Excellence Hotel in Ogba.

    Agbede said: “This administration will construct a hospital to take care of emergency cases among commercial drivers in the state.

    “We will ensure that the hospital is well-equipped and man by qualified personnel.

    “…Because of the nature of our job, our people are prone to accidents. So, with the hospital, our members will get prompt attention during emergency cases”.

    He said the proposed mega filling station would solve problems of fuel scarcity among drivers.

    He promised that the council will continue partnering with the government to sustain peace in all motor parks.

    NURTW Vice-President Joseph Aluanya, said the union is being administered in line with the rule of law.

    He urged the elected officers to be fair to all and make justice their watch word.

    State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Idowu Adelakun, hailed the NURTW for conducting a hitch-free delegates’ conference.

  • Feuding NURTW members terrorise Ado-Ekiti

    Feuding NURTW members terrorise Ado-Ekiti

    There was tension in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, yesterday as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) terrorised the public.

    The NURTW members moved around in a convoy of vehicles singing war songs and attacking residents.

    They were said to be protesting the directive of the National President Najeem Yasin on the harmonisation of the state executive to accommodate aggrieved members.

    The state NURTW is polarised into two with one faction led by caretaker chairman Clement Adekola and the other by Kunle Babatope.

    Adekola has been in office since July 22 last year. He was supposed to be in office for three months. The other faction is calling for a congress to elect a substantive executive.

    Peace was brokered by the national body after the two factions were summoned to Abuja. It was resolved that the Adekola group should produce 10 members and the Babatope group five in all the local branches in the state.

    This did not go down well with members holding union positions.

    A union member, who asked not to be named, said over 250 members loyal to Babatope have been barred from loading passengers at motor parks.

    This, he said, had rendered them redundant since July last year, when Adekola took over.

    But the rampaging union members believed to be loyalists of Adekola maintained that they would not share offices with the Babatope group.

    Armed with machetes, cudgels, clubs, broken bottles and other missiles they drove dangerously on major roads.

    They unleashed terror on Ojumose, Old Garage, Matthew Road, Odo Ado, Ijigbo, Ajilosun, Ikere Road, Okesa and Poly Road.

    Many fled on sighting the union members many of whom were clutching Indian hemp, cigarettes and bottles of dry gin.

    They barricaded the Ado-Ikare Road with logs of wood and held up traffic for about 45 minutes.

    The hoodlums vandalised motorcycles belonging to commercial operators.

    The state NURTW office was sealed off with an abandoned vehicle at the time of filing this report.

    Passengers had a harrowing experience at Old Garage and Odo Ado motor parks as they were chased away by the armed men.

    The situation was still tense last night.

    The NURTW caretaker secretary, Akinsola Osundiya, said Governor Ayo Fayose has intervened in the crisis, adding that the matter is being resolved amicably.

    He urged the public to go about their legitimate businesses.

  • Lagos NURTW boss Agbede gets second term

    Lagos NURTW boss Agbede gets second term

    The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), National Headquarters, Abuja, has endorsed a second term of four years for the Lagos State council of the union under the leadership of Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede and his executive members

    The president of the union, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin , who disclosed this after stakeholders meeting in Abuja at the weekend, said that the decision to allow the state council to continue in office for another term was informed by way and manner the executives has been able to foisted unity and reign of peace in the state council

    Alhaji Yasin, however, added that adjustment would e made to fill some vacant positions I the state council of the union, while two female members from the women wing of the union will be coopted into the executive in line with the provisions of the union constitution

    The NURTW boss explained that the leadership of the union decided to allow the entire Lagos state council executives to continue in office because of the credible performance recorded by the state council under Alhaji Agbede and his team, adding”you don’t change a winning team.

  • NURTW urges drivers to be security conscious

    NURTW urges drivers to be security conscious

    Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Tajudeen Agbede has urged drivers to always be at alert at motor parks.

    He spoke against the backdrop of last week’s bombing at Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja by suspected Boko Haram members.

    According to Agbede, one of the measures to forestall bombing at motor parks is the removal of abandoned vehicles.

    “One way to keep bombers away is to make sure that we don’t allow abandoned vehicles in the parks. Our findings have shown that bombers always use abandoned vehicles to launch their attacks; such vehicles should be removed from the parks

    “Again, those operating in the parks should be conscious and report suspicious persons and individuals to security agencies,” he said.

    Agbede said he would visit the parks to ensure that members comply with the security instructions.

    The chairman also directed drivers to always obey traffic regulations.

    “They should always obey traffic rules to avoid having issues with law enforcement agencies. We must support and cooperate with government to ensure free flow of traffic in our areas of operation,” he said.

     

  • No rivalry in NURTW, says chair

    No rivalry in NURTW, says chair

    NATIONAL Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has called on the police to fish out the killers of an aide of one of its leaders.

    Olayinka Mamowora, personal assistant to Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, treasurer of Lagos NURTW, was killed on Wednesday night in a barber shop at Oshodi.

    Lagos NURTW chairman Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede said yesterday that there is no division within the union despite Mamowora’s death.

    He said the late Mamowora was not a member of the union, adding that NURTW members relate with one another as brothers.

    Sympathising with the bereaved family, Agbede charged security agencies, particularly the police to bring the killers to book.

    Members of the union, he said, would assist security agents in their investigation, if he called upon to do so.

    He advised union members to be calm and law abiding.

    “I want you to be law-abiding and steer clear of acts inimical to the good of the society. Please, always maintain peace and order,” he said.

  • How I escaped assassination, by NURTW leader

    Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye Branch A chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Ademola Taiwo has relived how he escaped being killed by unknown gunmen in Ilupeju, Lagos, last Sunday.

    “It was God that saved me from the assailants,” Taiwo, who was shot at close range, told The Nation. He ascribed the attack to the internal wrangling in the union, saying some people were after him.

    He alleged that some members had been plotting to remove the state NURTW chairman, Comrade Tajudeen Agbede, adding that he formed a coalition to oppose the move.

    Taiwo, who is popularly called “Siro” or “Emir of Ilupeju”, said he was returning from a friend’s party at 12:30am when the assailants, armed with locally-made guns stopped his car. He was with two of his aides.

    He said: “As I drove back home in the midnight, I spotted some boys at Ilupeju Junction. I initially thought they were street boys, who normally sit at the junction. After I dropped off one of the boys coming with me in his house, I was driving to my house when the two gunmen pounced on me.

    “One of them approached me, while the other one went to hold my boy. They ordered me to come down from the car. I initially thought they were armed robbers, but when one of them said, ‘Oya come down; you are the one defending Agbede, we shall kill you today’. This was when I knew they had a different mission.”

    As he attempted to come down from the car, Taiwo said the gunman shot him below the abdomen at close range.

    Taiwo added: “The force of the scattered bullets took me back to the seat. But, I mustered strength to get up again and hit the attacker. Then, I ran away from the scene. As I was running, I saw other three other members of the gang coming out from nowhere, shooting at me. They all left my boy and ran after me. I entered a building and scaled the fence. It was God that saved me.”

    The Nation learnt that the gunmen ran away when policemen attached to Ilupeju Division moved to the scene, following a distress call by the residents. The assailants destroyed Taiwo’s Honda car and made away with his two mobile phones and N200,000 cash.

    He was injured as some of the bullets penetrated his lower abdomen, hip and thigh. He was taken to Rally Hospital in Ilupeju by the policemen, where he was stabilised. Afterwards, Taiwo was taken to an undisclosed hospital, where the bullets were removed.

    The union leader said: “I suspect the attack may have come from the people that want to destroy the union, because I learnt some people were jubilating in some of the branches after they heard I was shot. I still don’t know my offence, but I know it could have a linkage with my opposition to removal of Comrade Agbede.”

    A police source said none of the assailants has been arrested but investigation has begun on the attack.