Lagos assembly threatens to proscribe NURTW

The Lagos state house of assembly has warned members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state to desist from violence.

At its sitting on Thursday, the house said the union risks proscription if its members persist in making troubles in the state.

NAN reports that some members of the union had, on Wednesday, staged a protest to the assembly, rejecting the emergence of Musiliu Akinsanya, a.k.a. M.C Oluomo, as the union’s caretaker committee chairman.

During plenary, Victor Akande, the lawmaker representing Ojo I constituency, said some members of the NURTW had alleged that Akinsanya was imposed on them as the caretaker committee’s chairman.

He said the protesters believed that being one of the contenders for the position of the union chairman, he should not have been given the caretaker committee’s chairman.

Akande said the protesters allegedly threatened that there would be bloodshed in the state if the government did not intervene in the issue.

On his part, Rotimi Olowo representing Shomolu I, said: “We should let them know that we will not continue to condone violence from their end. They cannot continue to kill themselves in the name of electing a chairman.

“We should let them know that if they engage in any other form of violence again, we will proscribe their union,” he said.

On his part, Abiodun Tobun, representing Epe 1, said that the union members had been killing themselves because of the money they were making in the state.

“They are making too much money from the union and that is why they are engaging in violence and killing each other every time,” he said

“It is wrong to have imposed someone on them. They should get a neutral person to be the chairman so that there will not be a crisis”.

In his ruling, Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker of the house, said NURTW members should be able to maintain peace if they want to earn a living from the motor parks.

“Their election should not cause crisis and whenever they start their crises, innocent people are always the ones to suffer,” he said.

“If they should continue to engage in any crisis, we will not hesitate to place a ban on them. We will write Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to warn them not to engage in violence, else we will place a ban on them.”