Don’t jeopardise reconciliation process, NURTW tells labour minister

The President, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Tajudeen Baruwa, has urged the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, to shun the path that would further jeopardise the ongoing reconciliation process in the union.

Baruwa also accused Lalong of taking sides with the Bashiru Agbede-led group in the ongoing reconciliation process of the union.

The NURTW president further said that the minister met with the Agbede-led group on Wednesday 18th, 2023 in his office where he allegedly urged the group to organise a fresh National quadrennial delegates conference which contravened the provisions of the union’s constitution.

Baruwa disclosed this in a statement issued by the General Secretary of the union, Anthony Chukwudi, which was obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday, in Abuja.

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Following an election for the vacant posts of national officials, the NURTW has been mired in an impasse of leadership.

Both NURTW factional leaders, Baruwa and Agbede, have proclaimed national leadership of the union.

Members faithful to both leaders battled last August at the union’s offices in Abuja’s Garki district, resulting in a fatality.

“We hereby wish to call on the minister of labour and employment, Simon Lalong to retrace his steps and desist from the path that would further jeopardise the ongoing reconciliation process in the union.

“The minister held a clandestine meeting with the Agbede-led group of the union on Wednesday 18th, 2023, in his office where he allegedly made a statement when he asked the group to organise a fresh National Quadrennial Delegates Conference in contravention of the provisions of the union’s constitution particularly Article 8 Section 2 (1).

“It is pertinent to state here that the above-quoted article provides that the quadrennial delegates conference of the union shall be held in August of every four years.

“Recall that the same constitution was approved by the Ministry of Labour and Employment by 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 one person allows the union to die or disintegrate,” he said.

The president recalled that the reconciliation meeting had already been fixed for October 24, 2023, for both groups but was taken by surprise by the minister’s meeting with the other group.

He further revealed, “We would like the general public to know that such a statement coming from a government official who is expected to be an unbiased umpire will further aggravate the problem of the union instead of solving it.

“Also, we are shocked to discover that Agbede’s led group is 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 further conduct of any election.

The statement noted that the Ministry of Labour and Employment where the minister superintends is a creation of the law and they should not be seen acting outside or contrary to the laws by giving contradicting directives.”

The statement continued, “For the avoidance of doubt, the union had on May 24, 2023, held its special zonal delegates conference in the six geopolitical zones of the union while those who emerged were sworn in on August 23, 2023, 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 Najeem Yasin and his cohorts. It is on record that it is Yasin that is foisting Agbede on the union having forcefully taken over the National Secretariat of the union on 28th August 2023.”