1st February, 2012
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has condemned the violent activities of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos and other parts of the country and said that time has come to put their violent activities in serious check. The party urges the government and security agencies to take immediate steps to bring the transport unions under control else they will overwhelm the society with their nuisance.
In a release in Lagos , signed by the Lagos State chapter of ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that the worrying penchant of NURTW members to resort to brigandage and violence at the slightest instance has become a serious menace as they constitute serious threat to lives and property.
It urges the Lagos State government and indeed other state governments to move in quickly and stem the violent activities of these transport unions.
According to the party, “we are worried about the recent report of violent clashes that led to the death of some people in Lagos Island and we are worried that this life threatening acts have been recurring without any sign of abating. We are worried that NURTW members take to violence at the slightest provocation and this is without any consideration to the various lives and properties that have fallen victims to their fatal acts. We are worried that this has become a norm in all parts of Nigeria and that NURTW members have become laws unto themselves such that they now deem themselves as untouchables.
“We wonder why NURTW must adopt violence as its operational style as their activities, especially leadership change is always marked with violence. We wonder what it is that fires this violent predilection except the huge sums of money and extortion they get from the parks and transport operators. Since they do not believe in non violent operation, we think it is time to bring them under serious control so as to save the lives and properties associated with their operations, as well as the tension they cause each time they engage in their traditional violent activities.”
The party believes that the government should move in and take control of all the parks so as to restore order, decency and uniformity regarding the operation of the transport sector in the country so as to stem the unending violence and blood letting that has become synonymous with the road transport sector operation in Nigeria .
“We believe that a central and legal command will stem the present regime of chaos and bloodletting that seems to aggravate with each day as the contest for fortes and territory among rival unions exacerbate.
“We urge the various law enforcement agencies to bring the weight of the law to bear on the operation of NURTW and other like transport organisations to end the circle of violence that has assumed worrying and deadly dimensions today.
“We urge the police and other security agencies to closely monitor the operatives of these transport unions so as to avert the incessant deadly clashes and deal with errant members if they infract on the law and the rights of other citizens to operate freely. We feel that no time needs be wasted in moving in and stemming this violent ogre before it completely overwhelms the society,” the party added.