A group of concerned members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the Southern Senatorial District of Ondo state has called on the National President of the union, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, to summon courage and resolve the leadership crisis in the state chapter once and for all.
The concerned members under the auspices of Peace Agents warned that the union may lose Ondo state like some other states if the NURTW national leadership fails to implement the resolutions reached at various meetings organised to bring peace to the state chapter.
Speaking with journalists in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, spokesperson of the group, Ayoade Menukuro, wondered why the national president should allow some people to destroy the union in the state.
Menukuro said the agreement of the majority of the NURTW members in the state was that Comrade Jacob Adebo popularly known as Idajo should be allowed to be in office as state chairman for another term.
He said: “Our fear is that our union may lose Ondo state if care is not taken. We lost Edo; we lost Oyo; we lost Ogun; we lost Anambra and some other states. Government has taken over garages in these states. Should we open our eyes and allow Ondo to also go? We are worried if our national leadership is not.
“For some years, we have been having seamless leadership succession in the state. But some members are now hellbent on changing the peaceful arrangement. We don’t know why they don’t want Comrade Jacob Adebo to have his second term in office. There is no genuine accusation against him or his leadership.
“No fewer than eight meetings, both at the national and zonal levels, have been held to resolve the leadership issue. The agreement is that Idajo should be allowed to spend his second term and that he must bring everybody together. The state government has intervened and resolved the matter.
“Despite all the interventions, these people still want to destroy the union. Do they have power more than the national president or the state government? Will our members not suffer if the state government decides to take over garages from our union?
“We are, therefore, appealing to our able national president to take action and implement the resolutions reached at the peace meetings that were organised to settle the matter.
“We are also appealing to the government of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to bear with us. We hope that our national president will soon do the needful.”
