3 Wheelers To Quit NURTW

Three Wheelers Association of Nigeria in Lagos has decided to quit the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, over the allegations that members of the NURTW were harassing, intimidating and maltreating their workers.

During the first national inaugural meeting of the three wheelers operators from all the states of the federation and Abuja held in Lagos, Comrade Moses Buhari, the coordinator said the then military administrator of Lagos State, Colonel Buba Marwa, introduced the tricycle business into the state as a means of alleviating poverty among the people.

According to him, “in no time the business spread to other parts of the country and the operators were happy as it created jobs for them.

“Regrettably, however, as soon as the tenure of Marva came to an end, officials of NURTW, who initially supported the project during the regime of Saka Saula, became hostile, imposing, intimidating and uncooperative to our collective welfare, when Saula died

Our operators were exposed to harassment, intimidation from the police, NURTW and RTEAN at the various parks, which frequently resulted in bloody clashes between members of the NURTW and the three wheelers operators.

Moses further disclosed that the series of clashes forced the three wheelers to approach the government for intervention and also file a case at the Federal High Court, following the advice from the Federal Ministry of Transport in Abuja.

“The two million estimated members of Three Wheelers Association of Nigeria nationwide have no option than to separate themselves from the NURTW and form their own association with the intention of speaking with one voice, promoting peace, welfare and unity of the operators and contributing to the socio-economic development of the country, since they have been regarded as unimportant by officials of NURTW in the past years.

He described the various clashes at parks in Lagos and other parts of the country ignited by NURTW members, as desperate attempts to extort money from three wheelers operators under the guise of park fees, which he said, “are illegal, unconstitutional and therefore unacceptable.”

— Lucky Lawal