Ekiti State government has inaugurated a committee to investigate the perennial crisis between the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
While inaugurating the committee on Wednesday, its chairman, who is also the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Right Honourable (Pastor) Kola Oluwawole, warned that the state government would not tolerate any breach of peace, adding that both unions should maintain the status quo pending the three-week duration of the committee’s life span.
According to a statement by Right Honourable Oluwawole’s Special Assistant (Media), Stephen Gbadamosi, other members of the committee are Honourable Lateef Awolokun, Mrs Florence Apalowo, Honourable Taye Fasuba, representative of government; and Honourable Deji Odutola, who serves as the committee’s secretary.
According to Oluwawole, “the term of reference of the committee are: (1) to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis between the unions. (2) To investigate the complicity of any group or individual in the crisis. (3) to look at the peculiarities of the members wanting to cross-carpet from one union to the other, and treat them on their merit.”
Others, he said were to make appropriate recommendations to government to forestall future occurrence of this nature and to make recommendations to government on other issues that will bring growth and development to the unions.
The speaker identified cross-carpeting between the unions and loading ratio in the garages as the major causes of between the unions.
“In most cases, those who have committed one offence or the other in one union escape to the other in order to evade punishment. We are, therefore, seizing this occasion to put a ban on any form of cross-carpeting for now.
“We are also sounding a note of warning to leaders of the union to maintain peace forthwith. All security agencies have been put on red alert to watch out for anyone fomenting trouble. It should be know that anybody caught will be dealt with decisively according to law,”he said.
Constitution of the committee was conveyed in a later dated 31, March, 2017, signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr (Mrs) Modupe Alade.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
