NURTW Members Not Touts — Agbede

The Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, has appealed to members of the public, especially journalists, to desist from referring to NURTW members as touts, warning that the union would not hesitate to take legal action against such people and organisation.

Agbede stated this while reacting to a news item published on Tuesday by P.M.NEWS where NURTW members were referred to as touts or Agbero.

Going down memory lane, Agbede stated that the NURTW is one of the 29 industrial organisations recognised by the Nigerian military government since 1978. And based on the provisions of the law, the union is empowered to organise commercial drivers who engage in transportation of goods and persons.

He described as absurd newspaper reports referring to members of the union engaged in legitimate means of survival, as touts or agbero.

“It is on record that one of the major steps my administration took when we came into office in February was to eradicate the menace of touts harassing our members at various motor parks and bus stops. To achieve that, a sanitization Task Force was set up to confront touts at motor parks and bus stops across the state. Touts are parasites who are disturbing our members who are drivers at motor parks. Our Task Force on some occasions have arrested some of them and handed them over to the police for prosecution

“So, it is absurd to now refer to us as touts and it will no longer be tolerated. Our members can be identified with our green and white uniform and you cannot see our men in uniform on the streets or bus stops collecting money from drivers. Those doing that now are touts or revenue agents working for various local governments in the state.”