– Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) is accusing the Ondo state commissioner for transport of leading hoodlums to attack their members
– The commissioner is alleged to have decided to frustrate RTEAN members while favouring members of the rival National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)
– NURTW chairman in the state, Ariyo Adetula, denied the allegation and said the government had given them their various parks
The commissioner for transport in Ondo state, Nicholas Tofowomo, has allegedly led some hoodlums to attack members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) at their park.
File photo of thugs on rampage
The hoodlums, according to the leadership of RTEAN, belong to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Claiming that the incident happened in Akure, the state capital on Tuesday evening, RTEAN alleged that many of its members were injured in the fracas that happened just as several vehicles were also destroyed.
The bone of contention, according to the complaining organisation, was that it did not want the NURTW to operate in the parks, Daily Post reports.
The report quoted the chairman of RETEAN in the state, Williams Adepoju, as alleging that the commissioner favoured the rival NURTW in all his transportation policies while frustrating the RTEAN in the state.
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On the day of the incident, the commissioner allegedly led some leaders of the state NURTW and some suspected thugs to some parks on Adesida road and reportedly ordered the them to destroy the vehicles belonging to RTEAN members only.
“On Friday, we wrote to the security agents and the state government that NURTW wanted to attack us but they did not do anything.
“What we saw on Tuesday night was that Tofowomo came to our parks in Akure and Ondo at about 11 pm in company of some NURTW leaders in the state and thugs. He said we don’t have the right to be operating in the town.
“It was in his presence that the NURTW thugs started matcheting our members, destroying their vehicles, but we are law abiding and we don’t want to fight back. That is why we are calling on the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to call Tofowomo to order.
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“He should allow us to operate; there is a freedom of association in Nigeria, our members have the choice under the law not to join the NURTW, it is not compulsory to be members of the NURTW,” Adepoju said.
The report said efforts to reach the commissioner proved abortive as he did not pick his calls or reply a text message sent to him.
In his reaction, however, the NURTW chairman in the state, Ariyo Adetula, denied the allegation.
According to him, RTEAN was raising false allegation against the NURTW as there was never a clash between the two organisations.
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“All they are saying are lies, the government has given both of us our parks, so there is no fight between us,” he said.
