The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has rejected the Osun State Government’s decision to suspend its activities, insisting that Governor Ademola Adeleke has no legal authority to stop the operations of the nationally recognised union.
The union’s position was made known on Friday during the inauguration of a seven-member caretaker committee for the Osun chapter in Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of NURTW National President, Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo), the union’s Deputy National President, Aliyu Issa Ore, said the union is established by law and cannot be suspended by any state government.
“No single state governor has the power to suspend the activities of the union because we are not under any state. There is an Act that established the NURTW,” he said.
According to the union, the caretaker committee became necessary to ensure the Osun chapter has a recognised leadership, especially as preparations begin for the state’s upcoming governorship election.
Ore explained that the NURTW has an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), making it important for the union to maintain a functional leadership structure.
“We could not leave the activities of the union without having the leader on the ground,” he added.
During the event, Alhaji Kazeem Oyewale was announced as chairman of the caretaker committee that will oversee the union’s affairs in Osun pending the resolution of internal disputes.
The development follows the Osun State Government’s decision to suspend all NURTW activities in motor parks after violent clashes between rival factions sparked security concerns in Osogbo.
The state government also suspended the collection of motor park levies and directed security agencies to arrest anyone claiming to be an official or executive of the union while the suspension remains in force.
The disagreement has now escalated into a standoff between the Osun State Government and the national leadership of the NURTW over who has the authority to control the union’s activities in the state.
