The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ogun State has described as “misleading and illegal” the suspension of its members at some motor parks by the state government.
The NURTW in the state, led by Ismaila Mustapha, faulted the order given by Chief Sunday Adebiyi, the Chairman of the government-constituted Interim Committee on Transport Unions.
In a protest letter dated January 28, 2020, and addressed to Adeniyi, the union leaders said it was wrong of the Committee Chairman to suspend the leaders of Ago-Iwoye and Sango motor parks without following the “normal procedure.”
The committee chairman had reportedly ordered the immediate suspension of the executive members of the NURTW in Ago-Iwoye and Sango Ota motor parks over incessant crises and alleged failure to remit expected funds respectively.
But the state NURTW leadership, in a protest letter signed by its counsel, Olumide Akinbinu, submitted that the government had no such power to interfere in matters relating to the trade union and, by extension, the NURTW.
The union, which quoted Part ll, Section 4 sub-section (2) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), posited that the suspension was a personal action of the Interim Committee Chairman on Transport Union.
The NURTW requested Adebiyi to withdraw the suspension order immediately.
The letter partly read, “The statement credited to you, therefore, to the effect that the state government has ordered the immediate suspension of the executive members of the National Union of Transport
Workers in Ago-Iwoye and Sango/Ota motor parks is not only misleading but ultra vires the state government for which you are purportedly representing.
“It is, therefore, my honest belief that the statement did not emanate from the Ogun State government and, if anything, it represents your personal view, which in any case is not correct in law and in fact.
“Firstly, no such letter of suspension was communicated to our client and even if there is one, it is null and void ab initio and any attempt to enforce a leadership on the union outside the purview of schedule is simply illegal.”
