The leaders of the proscribed Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Thursday rose from an emergency meeting in Ibadan and appealed to security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and leaders of thoughts to prevail on Governor Seyi Makinde from appointing Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a. Auxiliary) as the State motor parks manager.
A statement jointly signed by some NURTW leaders including Alhaji Abideen Olajide (a.k.a. Ejiogbe); Otunba Lekan Aleshinloye; Alhaji Lateef Opeyemi; Alhaji Kasali Lawal; Alhaji Isiaq Ajetunmobi; Comrade Taiwo Adesanya; and host of others, said the members had been mobilised to resist “a new twist in illegality” in Oyo State.
They alleged an aide of the Governor, on Thursday morning invited some of them to the State Secretariat and sought their “buy-in” to cooperate with impending inauguration of Auxiliary as the State Motor Parks Manager.
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They said they were miffed that “the Governor who swore to uphold the constitution could prod up an illegal committee under the name of “Parks Managers” to run the administration of vehicles in the motor parks and same to be headed by a convicted and rejected Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a. Auxiliary). ”
“Constitutionally, the responsibility of the administration of our vehicles is saddled with the our union, NURTW which Governor Seyi Makinde had illegally proscribed and which is outrightly above his constitutional powers, as a labour union operates under the Labour Act.
“A Federal High Court judgment had ruled against the illegal proscription of our union and same had been duly served on the Governor through the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.
“We had earlier gotten the judgment and same had been served on Mr. Governor. The union has three different judgments from both the National Industrial Court and the Federal High Court. Inspite of these, he went ahead to constitute an illegal committee called the park managers.
“The so-called Mukaila Lamidi who he made the Motor Parks Manager had long been expelled from the Union and had since cease to be a member of the Union as far back as October, 2011.
“With the fact that that NURTW is not in anyway under the parastatal of the government of any state, as regards the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“And same having been made known to the Governor vide an open letter published in some National Papers in June 10, 2019 by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba that ” workers and employers organization shall not be liable to be dissolved or suspended by administrative authority.”
“We therefore call on our members across the State to resist any attempt to impose Auxiliary on our union through the backdoor by Governor Seyi Makinde,” they added.
