The President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Solomon Lalong, of bias by taking side with the Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede’s led group in the ongoing reconciliation process of the union.
Baruwa made the accusation in a statement issued by the General Secretary of the union, Comrade Anthony Asogwa Chukwudi, in Abuja.
The President alleged that the Minister held a clandestine meeting with the Agbede-led group of the union on Wednesday, October 18, in his office, where he asked the dissident group to organize a fresh National Quadrennial Delegates Conference in contravention of the provisions of the union’s constitution, particularly Article 8 Section 2 (1).
The statement read: “It is pertinent to state here that the above quoted article provides that quadrennial delegates conference of the union shall hold in the month of August of every four years.
“Recall that the same constitution was approved by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in accordance with the extant labour laws.
“According to a reliable source who was also present at the meeting but pleaded anonymity, the Minister unequivocally said the group should go ahead and conduct a quadrennial delegates conference and that they cannot because of one person allow the union to die or disintegrate.
“It would be recalled that the reconciliation meeting has already been fixed for October 24,2023 for both groups but we were taken by surprise by the Minister’s clandestine meeting with the dissident group.”
The President added that Agbede group was still operating unhindered at the National Secretariat of the union despite the directive issued by the same Minister in a letter dated 9th October 2023 that suspended all the operations of both groups, including the further conduct of any election.
The statement noted that the Ministry of Labour and Employment, where the Minister superintends, was a creation of the law and he should not be seen acting outside or contrary to the laws by giving contradicting directives.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the union had on May 24, held its special zonal delegates conference in the six geo-political zones of the country while those who emerged winners were sworn-in on August 23, during the 10th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference at Ta’al Hotel in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
“Similarly, the NLC is not imposing Baruwa on the union as being insinuated by Alh. Najeem Usman Yasin and his cohorts. It is on record that it is Alh. Najeem Yasin that is foisting Alh. Tajudeen Agbede on the union, having forcefully taken over the National Secretariat of the union on August 28”, the statement added.
