By Kemi Kasumu, General Editor
*Court vindicates us, says NURTW can’t stop us – RTEAN
*Court says RTEAN has right to operate parks – Counsel
*Gov Ajimobi our next man after Lam Adesina – Adeyemo
…How Herbert Macaulay, Awolowo formed RTEAN
…the Judge, Honourable Justice RA Akintola, had told the Court Six session that she went beyond the submissions of lawyers of both parties in her bid to establish the truth on independent basis which eventually convinced her that RTEAN and NURTW were both trade unions and that no one would dictate to the other nor any of the two ask the other not to operate its business.
The song from the mouths of leaders and members of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Oyo State Council, during a press conference in Ibadan on Friday, was more of “victory at last as court favours the persecuted that we are.”
Addressing a press conference at the state office of the transport owners in Ibadan, the state Chairman, of RTEAN, Prince Kehinde Adeyemo, said it was indeed victory at last as the association would now be free from long years of persecution and physical attacks by the thugs of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on the instruction of their leaders.
Adeyemo said the same NURTW that had been persecuting his people operating at parks approved for them by government had taken his association to court in May 2016 alleging that RTEAN was unregistered association operating with unknown officers.
He however expressed joy that despite the fact that he never interfaced at any time nor knew the Judge ever before, she proved that judiciary remained the last hope of the common man by ensuring that justice was not misplaced in her ruling.
He said the Judge, Honourable Justice RA Akintola, had told the Court Six session that she went beyond the submissions of lawyers of both parties in her bid to establish the truth on independent basis which eventually convinced her that RTEAN and NURTW were both trade unions and that no one would dictate to the other nor any of the two ask the other not to operate its business.
He said the Judge said, “therefore it is not allowed that NURTW will be the one to dictate to RTEAN. The Judge made them to understand that part of the arms of government recognized by the Constitution is Local Government and that Local Government is the arm empowered by the law to issue park permit to all citizens of Nigeria. She then posited that it is wrong for anybody to say that having given park permit, it must also not be given to another. She then ruled that they should stop it henceforth and that they must not maltreat us again. She gave the judgment to the extent that lawyers, warders and even prison inmates in court kept their cool because the truth and sincerity of the Judge’s ruling was seen as naturally established so much that none of the lawyers of the NURTW that took us to court could comment except that they started saying, ‘Congratulations!’ to us.”
Speaking earlier, Adeyemo said, “What baffled me more in all of the things the Judge said that makes me to also glorify the Lord is when she said despite the cases presented by the lawyers of both parties that she herself from her chamber went extra-mile doing thorough findings from people around and outside the state about what the truth of the issues was. The judge said both state and Federal that she went to, all that she heard was that there should be RTEAN and NURTW being that they are both trade unions and that they are the same under the law and that there is no right the NURTW has that RTEAN does not have.”
“We are not hooligans. We don’t cause trouble. Our founding fathers are all learned and people of good names in the society. We are only building on their establishment.
RTEAN was first registered in 1933 with Herbert Macaulay as its first National President and Chief Obafemi Awolowo as National Secretary at that time. Oba Adesoji Aderemi of Ile-Ife, Olubadan at that time, then “What a peculiar mess” (Penkelemess) Chief Adelabu, Alaafin, Dantata, were founding fathers of RTEAN. They first formed themselves as owners of transport business. They then agreed on a name to give to the transporters group to be called Nigerian Motor Transport Owners (NMTO). Those founders founded NMTO for individuals to benefit from the wealth. They also did it into a form advertisement and publication for people to know the kind of contributions they had made to improve the lives of the people for the growth and development of Nigeria. Would you call those people hooligans?”
Counsel to the RTEAN, Abioye Oloyede Asanike (SAN), who spoke to our correspondent, confirmed the judgment saying the court said if NURTW had any reason to sue anybody it should be the Local Government that issued permit for RTEAN to operate parks and not the RTEAN it should sue.
How Herbert Macaulay, Awolowo formed RTEAN
“We are not hooligans. We don’t cause trouble. Our founding fathers are all learned and people of good names in the society. We are only building on their establishment.
RTEAN was first registered in 1933 with Herbert Macaulay as its first National President and Chief Obafemi Awolowo as National Secretary at that time. Oba Adesoji Aderemi of Ile-Ife, Olubadan were members at that time, then “What a peculiar mess” (Kpenkelemess) Chief Adelabu, Alaafin, Dantata, were founding fathers of RTEAN.
“They first formed themselves as owners of transport business. They then agreed on a name to give to the transport business owners’ group to be called Nigerian Motor Transport Owners (NMTO). Those founders founded NMTO for individuals to benefit from the wealth. They also did it into a form of advertisement and publication for people to know the kind of contributions they had made to improve the lives of the people for the growth and development of Nigeria.
“Would you call those people hooligans? They were learned also. Like me, I am a far descendant. If my great grandfather did cause trouble with it, troublesomeness will start on me,” Oyo State Council of RTEAN Prince Kehinde Adeyemo said.
Our thanks to Governor Ajimobi and other details of NURTW/RTEAN faceoff
“In 2011 when Governor Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi became governor, he set up a tribunal and it was that tribunal that the helped the governor to really identify what the problem was and which aided his ability to control and minimize hooliganism and other forms of insecurity were been carried out in Oyo State especially in Ibadan at that time. The governor saw the facts of atrocities that people had committed ignorantly at a time some people had lost hope in existence of law due to lawlessness of the hooligans.
“As at that time also, the people I will call our political cabals tilted toward the NURTW so that whether they were guilty or not, they were always defended and protected by those political cabals. But, thanks to God, who made the cabals see reason and they spoke up that there was no reason for Taiwo to eat while Kehinde is blocked from also eating.
“The point now is that by April last year, Fele, the NURTW leader, threatened that he would kill me and others on my executive council and that the governor that was protecting me would not be able to same me. Then I observed that the problem had gone beyond what the chief security officer of Oyo State alone could handle. So, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police in Abuja, who referred me to Commissioner of Police (SARS) almost opposite the University of Abuja. The Commissioner SARS called both of us but surprisingly they denied that they ever said we should not work or threatened us. I then presented evidences to the police chief, who later told them that they had no right to stop RTEAN from operating parks anywhere in Oyo State and that there should be freedom of association and movement. He then warned by telling them that the case had not ended as he said he would arrest them anytime he heard of any threat from them again and a letter came from IGP in Abuja and I was asked to give a copy of the letter to the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State over the matter.
“Two months after we returned from Abuja they started another trouble and I went to meet the governor who told me that he had asked us to go and operate our parks which he had arranged for both of us but that we should not be part of any trouble. I then went to meet the state Commissioner of Police who said good. But unfortunately, it remained like one day for us to start work when the governor traveled.
“We started our operation as planned and Alhaji Albakudi, Olowoposi and their boys rolled out AK47 guns and started attacking our people so much that some of them are yet to fully recover till today. They were conniving with a particular OC Legal in the Oyo State Police Command who was helping them, so biased. Instead of police to arrest the attackers, they went ahead and arrested our members who were the victims. The OC Legal knew what she did that she asked that our members were brought to Iyaganku and refused them bails until the took them to court. They were 22 in number including some passers-by they counted to be part of our members. Not even their ID cards convinced the police to release them.
“That was the problem we were battling with when they (the NURTW) served us court summon in May last year. And when we found out what our offence was they said they were suing us for being unregistered association with unknown officers. We started laughing that it will be ignorant of anybody in Nigeria to say RTEAN is unregistered association. And how could they claim we have unknown officers? We have 33 Local Governments in Oyo State and we have been working conveniently and maintained peaceful co-existence in 22 Local Governments outside Ibadan. The only place we have problems is (the 11 Local Governments) in Ibadan. We are registered association. And how then can you have registered association with unknown officers? We then discovered that they wanted to use the court case to buy time.
“They tried all their powers but God is more powerful than they are. Therefore we dragged the matter in court for one year. We now thank God that in the judgment to all of us by the Judge, we now know that much as our judiciary system has been so blackmailed due to activities of corrupt Nigerians, judiciary still remains the last hope of the common man. From the handling of the case by the Judge, who I never met one-on-one nor known in anyway, she showed that she is a person of God. She read the judgment for one hour touching the stage-by-stage account of the case from day one that it was brought before her. What baffled me more in all of the things the Judge said that makes me to also glory the Lord is when she said despite the cases presented by the lawyers of both parties that she herself from chamber went extra-mile doing thorough findings from people around and outside the state about what the truth of the issues was.
“The judge said both state and Federal that she went to, all that she heard was that there should be RTEAN and NURTW and that they are both trade unions and that they are the same under the law and that there is no right the NURTW has that RTEAN does not have. And that therefore it is not allowed that NURTW will be the one to dictate to RTEAN. The Judge made them to understand that part of the arms of government recognized by the Constitution is Local Government and that Local Government is the arm empowered by the law to issue park permit to all citizens of Nigeria. She then posited that it is wrong for anybody to say that having given park permit, it must also not be given to another. She then ruled that they should stop it henceforth and that they must not maltreat us again.
“She gave the judgment to the extent that lawyers, warders and even prison inmates in court kept their cool because the truth and sincerity of the Judge’s ruling was seen as naturally established so much that none of the lawyers of the NURTW that took us to court could comment except that they started saying, ‘Congratulations!’ to us.
“Why are we praising Governor Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi here? We are praising him because he is a governor that wants peace. He has been consistent about not fighting back. But the people cheating us took us to court and we now saw that what the governor has been saying is right as God now used the people who took us to court to do justice against themselves. It further convinces us that one with God is truly majority. All of us the RTEAN exco and members are very happy and appreciative of the justice that we have got. We thank the Judge for proving to us and the world that surely judiciary, despite some Judases, still remains the last hope of the people. The six zones that make Oyo State are here: Oke Ogun, Ibarapa, Oyo Alaafin, Ogbomosho, Ibadan. We all agree that there is no other way to thank God than to praise Him. To now bring relief to our members injured and still in pains, we agreed to hold this press conference to appreciate the governor, the court, the police and members of the press who have stood behind us for this long,” he said.
