Transportation Crisis Looms In Lagos State

Pioneer president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji M.A. Bakare, has raised an alarm that the outgoing state chairman of the union, Alhaji Rafiu Akanni Olohunwa, is allegedly planning to sell off the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) franchise of the union to a company in which he is a director.

Bakare made the allegation in a statement issued in Lagos and made available to Lagos Bulletin at the weekend.

According to the statement, “the embattled chairman of Lagos State NURTW, Alhaji Rafiu Akanni Olohunwa is frantically making clandestine move to sell off the BRT franchise given to all the entire members of the union on Ikorodu Road, Lagos. This move is in collaboration with some powerful government officials charged with public transportation in the state.

“Olohunwa, who is losing support from his immediate state executive members as well as other NURTW members because of alleged mismanagement of the union’s funds and now being investigated by ICPC which culminated his outright loss of the membership of the Board of Trustees of NURTW at the National Convention, has therefore resorted to cleverly sell off the franchise routes, thereby becoming one of the directors of the company proposing to buy the franchise.

“Undoubtedly, if this clandestine move is allowed to succeed, there is going to be serious crisis within the transportation system in Lagos State because the union members have vowed not to allow the use and dump tactics to prevail this time around.”

Meanwhile, Olohunwa, at the just concluded national convention, denied allegations of mismanagement of funds belonging to the union.

— Jamiu Yisa