Members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Lagos State have rejected the caretaker committee being proposed by factional national leaders to take over the state council.

Mr Olalekan Amusan, the Lagos State General Secretary of the association, made this known at a news conference on Friday in Lagos in respect of national leadership crisis rocking the association.

A faction of the association had on Sept. 5 announced the removal of the National President, Alhaji Musa Isiwele, over alleged infractions, including violation of the association’s constitution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following the development, members of RTEAN in Lagos State, on Sept. 7 passed vote of confidence in the leadership of Isiwele.

Amusan said that members of the association in Lagos were not in support of the caretaker committee as being proposed by the factional leader.

“There is peace here in Lagos chapter and our members are 100 per cent in support of our incumbent state Chairman, Alhaji Muhammed Musa. We don’t want conflict in Lagos State,’’ he said.

According to him, nine members of the state association listed as the caretaker committee members have rejected being members and even sworn to affidavits to support their position.

“They are our members and they cannot at the same time be part of any caretaker committee,’’ he added.

In his contributions, Mr Suleiman Onabanjo, the state Deputy Chairman of RTEAN, named as leader of the caretaker committee, said that members of the association were in support of the present state executive.

Onabanjo said that he was never in support of any caretaker committee, adding that he has no business being in such committee.

“Those who initiated the caretaker committee were sacked members of RTEAN; it is not possible for such people to set up caretaker committee in Lagos State.

“Our members have confidence in the state executive and so there is no room for caretaker committee in Lagos,” he said.

Contributing, Musa (state chairman), who is also the RTEAN Deputy National President in charge of Administration, said that the state executive of the association was intact.

According to him, members of the Lagos State executive council of RTEAN remain intact, valid, authorised and duly elected.

“The purported dissolution and expulsions through illegal action is null and void and of no effects.

“RTEAN is a registered trade union under the Trade Union Act Cap T.14, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.

“And, it is being guided by the laws of the land and its own constitution which must be obeyed and adhere to all the time.

“So, our National and states executives council remain intact, the process of expulsion in the association is a constitutional process which must be followed before any member can be declared expelled,’’ he said. (NAN)

– Sept. 14, 2018 @ 14:12 GMT |