Lift Suspension On Us, RTEAN Urges Sanwo-Olu

National leadership of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has called on the Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu to withdraw his directive suspending the activities of the association in the state.

The governor gave the order following the fracas between two of the over 320 chapels in the state.

Thereafter, he appointed a 35-member caretaker committee to run the affairs of the branch. It is also reported that the fracas that led to the decision was upon a disagreement among members of the two chapels over the fact that the national president of the RTEAN doubles as the chairman of the state branch of the association.

In a statement issued by RTEAN deputy national president (Administration), Ambassador Muhammad Bishara, which he made available to journalists in Abuja, he said, “The Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) is a trade union registered under the Trade Unions Act. Cap T 14 Laws of the Federation 2004, a federal enactment.

“The association also has its constitution which is recognised and approved by the registrar of Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The operations of trade unions are entirely under the Trade Unions Act and the approved constitutions of the trade unions. None of the provisions of the Trade Unions Act confers or gives any power to any state governor to suspend the activities of any trade union nor empowers the governor of Lagos State or any other state to appoint a caretaker committee for a trade union as a branch of it,” Bishara said.

RTEAN, therefore, urged Sanwo-Olu to rescind the suspension of the activities of Lagos branch and allow the national body of the association to look into the matter in line with its constitution.