The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has blamed the recent crisis within the union on what it perceives as interference from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The conflict between factional groups of the union at its National Headquarters in Abuja on September 13, 2023, resulted in one fatality and several injuries.
The NURTW’s National Executive Council (NEC) asserted that the NLC overstepped its bounds by involving itself in the internal affairs of the union. The acting General Secretary of the NURTW, Kayode Agbeyangi, read a statement at the NEC meeting in Abuja, accusing the NLC of bias and self-interest. He claimed that the NLC breached the NURTW’s constitution by attempting to impose Tajudeen Baruwa, the former president of the union, on them.
Agbeyangi stated, “The recent outbreak of violence at the National Secretariat of the Union is due to the biased interference of the NLC for selfish reasons. Like the proverbial sympathizer who cried more than the bereaved, NLC has gone overboard in expressing their interest in our internal affairs, and took a one-sided decision that further threatened our effort to unite all interests and move the Union forward.”
He called on the NLC to respect the NURTW’s right to democratically elect its leaders and urged them to discard any bias or ethnic sentiments in their dealings with the union.
In response to these allegations, the NLC’s spokesperson, Benson Upah, dismissed them as fallacious. Upah clarified that the NLC does not direct the affairs of affiliate unions but intervenes when requested to help resolve issues. He deemed the accusations unfair and without merit, emphasizing the NLC’s commitment to impartial intervention.