It appears the leadership crisis in the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, is far from being over since the former president, Yasin Najeem became involved in his successor.
On Tuesday, the union raised alarm over alleged invasion of its national secretariat, describing the incident as unlawful and disturbing.
The union’s General Secretary, Kayode Agbeyangi, made the assertion while addressing newsmen in Abuja,
Earlier on Monday, the NURTW President recognised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Tajudeen Baruwa, led his supporters to take control of the national secretariat in Abuja, asserting his right to lead the union based on court rulings that affirmed his presidency.
The National Industrial Court had in 2023 declared Baruwa as the duly elected president of the union.
But, in his interaction with the media on Tuesday, Agbeyangi alleged that the invasion was carried out without official notice or legal backing.
He said it is unfortunate that such actions were taken despite ongoing legal processes and pending cases before competent courts.
The general secretary said the union believes strongly in due process and will continue to pursue lawful means to address the matter, while adding that the incident occurred early in the morning, resulting in vandalism and the removal of union property from the premises.
Aiyegbami said as early as 7am hoodlums stormed the secretariat vandalising property and removing valuable items, fortunately, no staff or officials were present during the incident, preventing possible confrontation or escalation of violence.
He further stated that the union had filed an appeal and a stay of execution on the purported judgement, which it described as contentious.
According to him, the union was not served notice of the proceedings leading to the enforcement of the judgement, noting that due legal processes must be followed in executing court judgements, and self-help must be avoided.
While calling on security agencies to investigate the incident and ensure the protection of lives and property at the secretariat, the general secretary reaffirmed the union’s commitment to peace, dialogue, and lawful resolution of disputes within its leadership structure.
In his reaction, Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, who is claiming to be the National President of NURTW, described the attack and vandalism of the secretariat as unfortunate.
He noted that he was not a defendant in the judgement relied upon by Baruwa and said the ruling had been appealed, with a stay of execution already in place.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
