THE crisis between the national body of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Lagos state chapter of the union has assumed a new dimension.
The former leaders/elders of the union in the South-West have called for the removal of the national president, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa.
In a letter, the elders urged the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union to set machinery in motion for Baruwa’s removal as the national president for his alleged contravention of the union’s constitution.
The letter, tagged ‘Report of continuous violation of the union’s constitution and misrule of Mr Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, the National President, NURTW’, was signed by 20 elders of the union in the South-West (Zone II) comprising Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
Those who signed the letter were former National Senior Assistant Secretary, Stephen Falusi; pioneer Lagos State council chairman, Samuel Jonah; former Ondo State chairman, Oba Solomon; former Ogun State Treasurer, Alhaji Lukmon Ajuwon; Alhaji Nasiru Komolafe of Osun State council; former Ekiti State Financial Secretary, Lateef Balogun; Chief James Ojewunmi from Oyo State council and former Head of Department, National Women Affairs, Mrs Bola Lemboye.
The elders alleged that Baruwa’s “overbearing attitude” had led to crises in some of the South-West states.
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The letter reads in part: “From the advent of this administration, it inherited a complete six working and operational states in the zone and to our dismay, Zone II Council has seriously been factionalised and some state councils have subsequently embraced the park management scheme due to inherent and overbearing attitude and conduct of the president, thereby presently leaving only two states, namely, Osun and Ekiti crisis-free.
“The president, being a representative of the zone, has not shown the commitment to resolving most of the problems plaguing the zone but instead initiated fresh ones. An example is the self-inflicted crisis in the Lagos State council orchestrated, planned and adequately funded by the national president of the union himself.”
They accused Baruwa of not giving the Lagos State council chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo), a fair hearing and not conducting proper investigation before a punitive action was taken.
“Even though the president with NAC has supervision in the area of discipline over state councils, such roles do not preclude the president from observing due process as stipulated under Article 42 (5) XI and XII of the union’s constitution which stipulates roles for both SAC and SEC.
“This portion of the constitution stipulates that ‘any elected officer of the union may be removed from office by the organs of the union that elected the affected officer by passing of a vote or no confidence in him or her provided that two-third majority of the members of the organ voted in favour of the motion to that effect’.
“All extant rules, laws and regulation regarding the discipline of members, not to talk of a sitting state shairman, were clearly thrown into the dustbin as it is enunciated in Article 42 (5) and (16) Subsection XI and XII of the union’s constitution,” the elders said.