NURTW passes vote of no confidence on Baruwa

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has passed votes of no confidence in Alh. Tajudeen Baruwa, former president of the union.

Alh. Tajudeen Agbede, National Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the NURTW, said this while speaking at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

It would be recalled that Baruwa's tenure as president of NURTW expired on Aug. 28.

According to him, we, the undersigned, having the mandate of our members in the various states and zones, unanimously passed a vote of no confidence on Alh. Tajudeen Baruwa.

He alleged that Baruwa had committed many atrocities while he served as president of the union from August 2019 to August 2023.

He alleged that Baruwa had reduced membership in the International Transport Federation (ITF) from 400,000 members to a paltry 160,000 members.

Agbede also noted that the former president failed or neglected to pay affiliation dues as and when due, thus causing the union to be deregistered from the ITF.

“In a letter referenced NLC/NS/A.16 dated August 27, 2019, the NLC wrote to NURTW, commending the union for showing “good example to other affiliate unions of the NLC.

“That is by continuing to be financially up to date” and "being financially up to date as of the end of July 2019, he did.

He, however, noted that the numerous letters received from the NLC during Baruwa’s administration were various demands for payment of affiliation dues.

He added that the dues, at one point, were owed for as long as 18 months (April–December 2021) and January–September 2022.

Agbede said that Baruwa failed or neglected to account for Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) money paid during his administration for the 2023 general election.

He also noted that during the four-year administration of the former president of the union, the National Executive Council (NEC) only met four times.

He said that this was against the constitutional provisions of Article 10(2) of the union’s constitution.

Agbede also said Baruwa had arbitrarily mandated the posting of union staff without concomitant relocation allowances or transfer claims, among others.

He added that, thus causing unnecessary hardship and adversity to staff.

“He failed to abide by constitutional provisions in respect to succession by refusing and/or neglecting to conduct credible zonal delegate elections for the continuity of the union.

“Thus putting the union into unnecessary drama before right-thinking members of the public, ”he added.

NAN reports that, in a unanimous decision, Baruwa was elected president for a second four-year term on Aug. 25.