The leadership of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has appealed to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to sustain the peaceful coexistence between the union and state government.

The NURTW National President, Mr Tajudeen Baruwa, in a statement on Friday, thanked the governor for the support he had been giving the union over the years.

“The body’s national leadership appealed to governor Sanwo-Olu, to allow the existing harmonious relationship between NURTW and Lagos State Government to continue and that it will be extended to the newly appointed officers of the union,’ he said.

The president said that the union had inaugurated a nine-man caretaker committee to oversee and coordinate operations of the union across Lagos state.

He said the committee was constituted following the dissolution of the State Administrative Council (SAC).

Baruwa said the caretaker committee was set up to allow for continuity in the administration of the transport activities.

The president added that the move was to ensure that members of the union continued to support the government’s master plan for transport development.

“The nine-man caretaker committee will be led by Mr Fatai Adeshina, a stakeholder in the transportation sector, and the committee will operate for next three months as stipulated in the union’s constitution.

“Other members of the committee are Mr Sunday Yusuf, Abraham Onifade, Jamiu Erinfolami, Ismaila Ojora, Lekan Ariyibi, Murtala Lawal, Taiwo Azeez while Kayode Agbeyangi would serve as the secretary,” he said.

This came more than a month after the Lagos State Government banned NURTW activities in the state.

Also, NURTW dissolved its Lagos State council under Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo on April 6.

NURTW spokesperson, Chukwudi Asogwa, confirmed the development to The PUNCH, stating that a letter had been addressed to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to that effect.

According to a copy of the letter obtained by our correspondent, the caretaker committee will operate for three months as stipulated in the union’s constitution.

Members of the committee are Fatai Adeshina (Chairman), Sunday Yusuf, Abraham Onifade, Jamiu Erinfolami, Ismaila Ojora, Lekan Ariyibi, Murtala Lawal, Taiwo Azeez, and Kayode Agbeyangi (secretary).

Part of the letter read, “Owing to the crises that bedevilled Lagos State Council which culminated in the dissolution of the State Administrative Council on April 2022 and in order not to allow the vacuum created to be affected by outside influences, the National Secretariat deemed it necessary to set up a Caretaker Committee with immediate effect.

“You are to take over the administration of the State Secretary of the union. You should invite the State Chairman, Treasurer and any other SAC member so that any officer in possession of the union’s funds and properties hands them over to the committee.

“You should take control of all saleable items onion such as Union receipts, membership cards, EOD’s, Way Bill, RAHIS (PAMS) etc.

“You should liaise with the state and local governments including other law enforcement agents in the state with the sole objective of bringing the union closer for better performance.

“You should try as much as possible to bring back the lost glory of the union and sanitise its operations hitherto rubbished by the former SAC.”

The Lagos state government recently appointed an ex-chairman of the state’s chapter of NURTW, MC Oluomo, as the chairman of its Parks Management Committee.

A former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, was appointed as the Liaison Officer between the government and the committee.