Leadership crisis: Group implores Fashola to probe

Juliana Francis      

Members of the newly formed tricycles workers Association of Nigeria (TWAN), Lagos State chapter, have appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola to come to their aid by calling the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa to reconsider the imposition of one Odusanya as care taker chairman for their association.

In a press release made available to newswatch, signed by one Mr. Lateef Waheed, the members urged Fashola to carry out a covert investigation of the present situation in the associations, this was even as they insisted that the imposition of Odusanya as care-taker chairman was against the wishes of the members of the association who had decided to keep their grievances aside and accept reconciliation moves, so that peace would reign in the state.

According to the tricycles workers Association of Nigeria, the imposition of the new leader, might lead to further destabilizing the associations.

Furthermore, the group stated that most of their members have been in the system for long and thus knew that Odusanya has a poor leadership quality and has no spirit of clemency, which they felt was one of the attributes a leader should have.

They urged Fashola and Opeifa to probe Odusanya, who is allegedly, already sending several people away from the association, while absorbing his loyalists.

According to Waheed, the present care taker chairman, had even now threatened to dissolve over 104 branches with over 2,000 units, with a determination to send more members away.

The members were also worried that Odusanya was not giving them grounds to air their opinions and suggest ways to move the association forward.

The release continues: “Odusanya made it clear to us that he is carrying out orders from the commissioner and threatened to effect arrest on members who talks to journalists, while those who fails to agree   would be shown the way out.”

The members said that they could not understand why someone who was made a care taker chairman, to reconcile warring parties, now appeared bent on destroying the associations.

They explained that some of their members are presently without source of livelihood and that they had expected Odusanya, to tackle such issues, rather he allegedly concentrated on send away more members, thus forcing them into labour market.

The group implored Fashola to intervene in the tense situation, so as to avoid crisis, which might lead to break down of law and order in the state.

For decades now, there has been a cold war among different associations of tricycle riders and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in Lagos State.