The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) caretaker committee has passed a vote of no confidence in ex-NURTW president Tajudeen Baruwa. Tajudeen Agbede, the NURTW national chairman of the caretaker committee, said this while speaking at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Baruwa’s tenure as the president of NURTW expired on August 28.

“We, the undersigned, having the mandate of our members in the various states and zones, unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa,” the committee stated.

Mr Agbede alleged that Mr Baruwa had committed many atrocities while serving as union president from August 2019 to August 2023, claiming that Mr Baruwa had reduced union membership in the International Transport Federation (ITF) from 400,000 members to 160,000 members.

Mr Agbede also noted the former president failed or neglected to pay affiliation dues as and when due, thus causing the union to be deregistered from ITF.

He, however, noted that sundry letters received from NLC during Mr Baruwa’s administration were various demands for payment of affiliation dues. Mr Agbede added that the dues, at one point, were owed for as long as 18 months (April to December 2021) and January to September 2022.

Mr Agbede said Mr Baruwa failed or neglected to account for the Independent National Electoral Commission money paid during his administration for the 2023 general election. He also noted that during the four-year administration of the union’s former president, the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting was only held four times.

He said this was against the constitutional provisions of Article 10 (2) of the union’s constitution.

Mr Agbede also accused Mr Baruwa of arbitrarily mandating the posting of union staff without concomitant relocation allowances or transfer claims, among others. He added that caused unnecessary hardship and adversity to staff.

“He failed to abide by constitutional provisions in respect to succession by refusing and/or neglecting to conduct a credible zonal delegates’ election for the continuity of the union. Thus putting the union into unnecessary drama before right-thinking members of the public,” he added.

Mr Baruwa was elected NURTW president for a second four-year term on August 25.

(NAN)