Organizational unity, collaboration, and cohesive purposefulness of stakeholders in the sector is highly imperative for the sector to deliver on policy target of Government that would catalyze socio-economic advancement of the country.
Civil Society Organizations made this statement in the press release signed by Balogun Hameed, Convener Of Frontline Socio-Economy Research Centre.
According to the statement, “the seamless mobility of human beings, goods and services are critical factor in upward swing of any society. This is equally key to the reforms policy thrust of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu particularly on agenda like Combating Insecurity of lives and properties, Food Security, harnessing reservoirs of natural resources, – solid and liquid mineral deposits, shoring up Naira exchange value with direct foreign investments, boosting Production Capacity of Industry, Marine and Blue Economy”.
He said “Effective, integrated, solid, transportation systems operating at optimal capacity is required to deliver on set objectives by the nation to meet up with the global standard, United Nations’ Millennium Social Development Goals.
“As a veritable group of civil society organisations, we have closely monitored developments in the road union sector of the transportation industry with concerns, knowing deeply well how any form of disruption or schism affects not just the sector but entire national polity.
“It would be recalled that after the inability of the 10th Triennial National Delegates Conference of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW to successfully hold in Abuja, our findings showed that the then, President, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa attempted to undemocratically declare himself as President of the Union in Lafia, Nasarawa State but this was vehemently rebuffed by majority of the Union’s members who re converged at the Federal Capital City to mandate Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede as the National President of the Union.
“The Union has since been bogged down by cacophony of elements who are determined to ensure that it remains balkanized. This is not healthy for safety and stability in our transportation system”.
Hameed further stated that: “As much as we strongly suspect the infiltration of partisan forces manipulations to wield control over the Union, we must note and commend the level headedness and relatively patriotic zeal at which Alhaji Agbede has since been directing the affairs of the union without creating avoidable hiccups in the processes of road transportation system in the country. We consider the unity of members of the union across the nooks and crannies of the country as requisite sin qua non for peace and stability in the country.
“We note and salute the un-assuming leadership style of Alhaji Agbede ON affairs of NURTW. The Federal Government, organized labour, particularly NLC, and other relevant industrial relations’ conciliation and arbitration institutions should be extremely cautious in dabbling into the affairs of the NURTW. We have reasonable grounds to suspect that some partisan forces are scheming to take over the Union and deploy it as part of their grand design to foment crisis, chaos and unrest in the country that can trigger off monumental social convulsions to heat up and destabilise the polity. For instance, as a coalition we applaud and identify with the Union’s position not to join Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC strike at a volatile period just before Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal is slated to deliver judgement. This is purely designed heat up the polity for partisan, selfish consideration. It is therefore, not surprising that the other plank of organised Labour, Trade Union Congress, TUC is not joining this striking charade.
“As a body that recognize the strategic importance of the road transportation system in our social organism, we are apt to call Nigerians attention to the fact that the National Road Grid connects the nation with every other transportation system such as rail, water and air to their final destination points. It is therefore very key in actualizing all our social, deliverable goals. As stated above, we are presently seizing this medium to simply raise the red flag, warning generally on the scheme to deploy the strategic, organic structure, nature and positioning of the Union to destabilize the polity if its leadership is taking away from patriotic leader like Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede.
“The bigger task therefore, is on the shoulders of Alhaji Agbede to close the ranks of members, sensitize them to the onerous historic duties for nation building at this juncture in our nation building, developmental plans and projections” he maintained.
By Ajibola Adedoye