Azeez Abiola, Lagos State Chairman of Tricycle Owners and Operators of Nigeria (TOOAN), on Saturday called for a different identity for tricycle riders to enable them to address their perculiar issues and improve their welfare.

Mr Abiola, popularly known as Istijaba, also called for a separate and independent association for trycle riders.

He made the call while addressing journalists against the backdrop of recent clashes between members of TOOAN and the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos state. 

He appealed to the state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to wade into the matter.

“Our union has been existing for over 20 years now, but there was a time we experienced leadership crisis and we were called upon to choose between NURTW and Road Transport Employers Association.

“We were then affiliated with the NURTW and since then we have been paying our dues and other levies directly to the union. It  spanned the two previous administrations of NURTW executives.

“However, while we are affiliated with the NURTW, we have our activities controlled by our local executives until recently when the newly-appointed NURTW boss, Alhaji Musliu Akinsola, popular known as MC Oluomo, called for dissolution of our executive committee.

“After the dissolution  by the incumbent administration of NURTW, caretaker administrators were imposed on us, those that are not directly involved in our business,” he said.

Mr Abiola said that TOOAN had to write a petition to the national body of NURTW in Abuja, to state its plight and it was resolved amicably.

“We wrote a petition to the national body of NURTW in Abuja and we were called for a parley together with the NURTW Lagos executives; we stated our claims and we, as TOOAN members, were asked to go back to statusquo.

“The resolution of the meeting, which had in attendance all the management of the NURTW national body, was that we should choose executives among TOOAN members for Lagos chapter since we are an affiliate of NURTW.

“We were also instructed to pay all our dues and levies to the Lagos State chapter of NURTW; we all assented to a copy of the resolution in the meeting.

“Under the new arrangement and resolution, I was chosen to be the new Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of TOOAN on Feb. 9, and the national body of NURTW directed that we should continue to operate in our existing state office,” he said.

Mr Abiola, however, alleged that the Lagos chapter of NURTW failed to honour the resolution made in Abuja and sealed TOOAN’s office in Lagos.

“After the successful deliberations with the national body of NURTW in Abuja, I was summoned by the Lagos State Chapter of NURTW for a meeting which turned out to be a different reaction from the Abuja parley,” the TOOAN boss said. 

(NAN)