- Seeks Fayemi’s Support To Complete Association’s Secretariat
The Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Ekiti State Chapter under the leadership of the State Chairman, Chief Olanbiwonninu Joseph Rotimi has inaugurated 44 affiliate branches of the Union in the state.
The inauguration of the 44 chapels was held recently at the State Secretariat of the association located along the popular Ekiti State University road in Ado Ekiti to enable the activities of the RTEAN members to be more organised and coordinated.
While giving his inaugural speech at the swearing in ceremony, Olanbiwonninu expressed gratitude to God for making it possible for him to be returned as the State Chairman despite that he was jailed for an offence he knew nothing about during Ayodele Fayose’s government. He recounted his experience while he was in prison custody and expressed gratitude unto God for seeing him through the ordeal.
He pledged to work more assiduously by ensuring that branches of RTEAN are established in all the local government areas in the state.
Olanbiwonnninu advised the newly inaugurated branches not to exercise vengeance on those who offended them during the period they were chased away from office by Ex-Governor Fayose’s government. He charged all the new 44 branch executives to tread softly reminding them that they would not be in office forever.
The chairman also advised them not to be rude to any of the state executives in the state and prayed for them to be successful in their new offices.
The 44 chapels whose executives were inaugurated by Olanbiwonninu include Abuja, Ado Central, Lagos, Eka – Meta, Olokemejil, Ilorin, Ijero, Moba 1, Moba 2, Town Service, Ureje, Ikere Ekiti, Ikere Central, Sango, Emure, Onitsha, Portharcourt, Iworoko, Ise Orun,Mentillo (Ibadan), Omuo Obadore, Ogotun, Agbado, Ayedun, Isinbode, Igede, Ikoro Eso Obe, Omuo Oke, Oye, Ido/Osi, Aramoko, Iloro, Kota, Ilawe, Ilejemeje, Ogotun, Ire, Ilupeju, Ikole, Ijan, Igbara Odo, Ifaki and Igbemdi.
In a press interview after the inauguration, Olanbiwonninu advised drivers who are yet to obtain their driver’s licence or renew it to go and do so before law enforcement agents apprehend. He encouraged drivers who face unlawful extortion by either officials of the Federal  Road Safety Corps or other security agencies such as the Police to report to his office or any state officer for prompt intervention.
Olanbiwonninu also praised Governor Kayode Fayemi for appointing him and the State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr. Joseph Oso as Senior Special Assistants  on Transport for the first time and commended the governor’s positive initiative in the areas of security, regular payment of workers’ salaries since his assumption of office.
He decried the manner in which the populace has negatively labelled the activities of the Fulani Herdsmen as worse in the history of the country saying that none of his colleagues has been attacked in the course of doing their businesses on the highways despite that some of them travel at midnight across the country.
He lamented that his predecessors squandered all the dues collected from members and refused to ensure the completion of the RTEAN secretariat initiated by him during his first term of office. He therefore appealed to Governor Fayemi to come to the aid of the RTEAN in the state by helping them to complete the secretariat.
Speaking to the press after the inauguration, Chapels’ Chairmen, Oladele Adeoye, Lagos; Amusa Tairu, Port Harcourt; Sunday Owo, Onitsha; Jayeola Berekete, Ilorin; Abuja (Adebayo Ojo) and Iworoko (Taiwo Owolabi) expressed appreciation to the leadership of the RTEAN in the State for supporting their elections. They called on Government at all levels to declare an emergency on the poor state of roads in Nigeria and appealed to men of the Federal Road Safety Corps as well as those of the Nigeria Police to stem the tide of extortions from public motorists on the roads.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
