President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW ), Comrade Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa has again called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to call the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong to order no to truncate the October 2, 2023 Labour and federal government agreement.

Baruwa said the action of the Minister so far has shown that he was biased by taking side with the illegal Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin and Tajudeen Agbede led group.

Baruwa said failure by the Minister to take step to enforce his directive suspending the activities of both groups including further conduct of any election has shown that has been compromised.

He said the Minister reneged on his directive by supporting the Agbede’s led group to hold illegal delegates conferences in violation of the Constitution of the union and his own directive.

The President said: “You may recall that the NLC had an agreement with the federal government and promised to resolve our matter on or before 13^th October, 2023 and the federal ministry of labour invited us on 12^th October 2023, for a meeting but due to the thuggery nature of Usman Yasin and Agbede group.

” The meeting could not hold and the failure to comply with the directive of the minister of labour to stop further day to day activities of the union by their group, the ministry failure to take step to enforce its directive made us to believe that the minister has been compromised and our believe was vindicated by their meeting of Wednesday 18^th October, 2023 with the minister and that of their so call conference of 25^th October, 2023 clearly prove that the minister has taken side and whatsoever they try to show that the minister or any agents of Government is with them cannot deny that they use brute force to break into the National Secretariat of the Union, so also nothing can justify them parading as legitimate leaders of the union NURTW.

” Therefore, we are calling on all members, relevant authorities and members of the general public to disregard the dissident group and whatsoever they represent.”

He said his administration complied with all the constitutional requirement in conducting the 10^th national quadrennial delegate conference which started from the 17^th to 18^th meeting of the National Administrative Council and National Executive Council at Ni’ima Hotel Kano, to the special zonal delegates conferences held concurrently throughout the six geo political zone on 24^th May 2023 to the formal inauguration and swearing in of all the National elected officers at the 10^th national quadrennial delegate conference at Ta’al Hotel on 23^rd August, 2023 in Lafia Nasarawa.

He explained that there was no complaint by any member from any zone for either execution or denial from participating in the process of the election till date noting that only the duo of Mr. Agbede and Akin Adeosun decided on their own not to participate in writing through their lawyer.

“Surprisingly, after concluding all the Constitutional electoral process as provided in Article 9 section 13^th-16^th and Article 8, section 2(i) suddenly, Alh. Usman Yasin whom served as the president of the union for about 10 years with aims of perpetrating himself in office without success now descended so low to grab power through the back door by encouraging and instigating the illegal taken over of the National Secretariat through the use of brute force and also organizing illegal election that is not recognized and alien to the constitution of the union.

” Therefore their purported conference of 25^th October 2023 and all zonal delegates conference of 5^th October are not only illegal but inconclusive and in fact the swearing of the officers and the appointment of the Deputy as acting President is null and void and without any effect whatsoever,” he said.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the union, Comrade Anthony Asogwa Chukwudi who had served the union meritoriously and attained his retirement age was honoured as he bowed out of the union. The union has appointment Comrade Suleiman Abdulkadir Musa as Acting General Secretary.

Asogwa thanked the union for the opportunity given to him to serve them in various capacities and support given to him in assumption of the position of the General Secretary of the Union, the first person from the South East geo-political zone to get to the exalted position since the inception of the Union. (Saturday Sun)

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