By Steve Agbota
A fresh crisis of confidence has again hit the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) as five key truckers’ associations have withdrawn their membership from the union.
The pull-out of the associations was due to leadership crisis and alleged refusal of the executives of COMTUA to agree to the resolution of the majority of truckers and notable elders in the trucking business over who becomes the Board of Trustees (BoT) members and the Zonal executives of the newly formed National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP); a name said to have been agreed upon by the entire truckers associations operating in the state.
The associations reportedly formed National Association of Maritime Transport Operators on the prompting of the Lagos State Government.
Recall that last year, some key associations also withdrew their membership of COMTUA- they include the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) over alleged breach of provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the federating members.
The new body (NAMTOP); under the leadership of Alhaji Lukman Shittu as Chairman, in a letter written to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo Olu; a copy of which was sent to Daily Sun, also alleged defamation of character of the person of Mr. Shola Giwa who is the Special Assistant to the Lagos state Governor on Transportation.
The NAMTOP in the letter alleged that COMTUA defamed the character of the Special Adviser, because the government refused to recognise COMTUA as a body of truckers registered under the law.
NAMTOP further alleged that COMTUA does not function as a legal entity and is not recognised by the law while also stating that the primary aim of forming COMTUA has been defeated with dissolution of the Presidential Task Team (PTT) by the Government in 2020. It added that COMTUA is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The letter reads in part: “It has become necessary for us on the above subject to make the following statements/clarifications over the baseless allegation of partisanship levelled against Honorable Shola Giwa by subversive elements of COMTUA regarding the leadership selection process of maritime truckers in Lagos State.
“As part of the efforts of the Lagos State Government to promote the ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State through the Ministry of Transportation Alausa, directed Maritime Trucking Operators to come under one umbrella body.
“Consequent upon the Lagos State Government directive, the Maritime Transport Unions/Associations came together, formulated, deliberated and unanimously agreed to adopt the name: National Association of Maritime Transport Operators NAMTOP to serve as truckers’ umbrella body for implementing Lagos State Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in the state. A communiqué to that effect was signed by truckers’ representatives in the presence of the officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation at Alausa.
“Sequel to the adoption of NAMTOP and the need to have an administrative machinery to coordinate the affairs of the umbrella body for successful implementation of Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State, majority of truckers and notable elders in the maritime trucking industry conveyed a general meeting and endorsed a Board of Trustees, State and Zonal executive structures for NAMTOP of which letter was written to the office of Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation to that effect,” the letter stated.
Explaining further, the new group said dissatisfied with the resolution of the majority of truckers and notable elders in the trucking industry that did not allow them to dominate the entire BoT, State and Zonal Excos of NAMTOP at the expense of the majority of other trucking Unions/Associations in the maritime industry, the centrifugal and subversive elements of COMTUA declared their exit from NAMTOP and later unabashedly submitted a parallel NAMTOP excos list to the Permanent Secretary at the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation Alausa to the surprise of many.
“Having downplayed the resolution of the majority of Truckers and notable Maritime Elders resolution on NAMTOP executive structure, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation, invited truckers to Alausa again for another round of meeting on Saturday June 17, 2023 where suddenly and without any prior notice, proposed the selection of 5 representatives each from NAMTOP and COMTUA to form another interim committee outside the resolution majority of Truckers and notable elders on the endorsement of NAMTOP executive committee structures in the industry.
“Again, on June Tuesday 20, 2023, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation invited Truckers to another round of meeting where it was announced without prior notice that the 10 man committee selected from COMTUA and NAMTOP in the last meeting should vote to select new Executive committee for NAMTOP in an attempt to overthrow the executive structure of already endorsed by the majority of Truckers and their notable elders of the industry.
“In the long run, our representatives at the meeting walked out in protest when the idea of election was brought up during the meeting which they perceived as a coup plot against the Executive structures already endorsed by the majority of Truckers and notable elders in the Trucking industry. Neither the Perm Sec. nor the minority in COMTUA have right to subvert the will of the popular majority in the Maritime trucking industry especially where it has to do with leadership selection.
“Later in the day, one Mr. Moshood Olaitan was declared Chairman of NAMTOP Lagos State out of unknown selection criteria orchestrated through the Permanent Secretary in collaboration with elements of COMTUA. The news of fraudulent selection of Mr. Olaitan Moshood was circulated on social media outlets by members of COMTUA,” the letter added.
The new group explained that, “the process that produced Mr. Moshood Olaitan as Chairman of NAMTOP in the office of the Permanent Secretary was the outcome COMTUA machinations which we were not party to and which we are not going to accept.
“The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation hobnobbing with COMTUA cannot subvert the will of the majority in the Maritime Trucking industry. It is the majority that carries the vote even under Democratic circumstances of free, fair and credible election contrast to where some few set of people would enter a corner, select and impose somebody over the majority.
“It is on this note that the fraudulent election result was overturned by men of conscience and restored Alhaji Lukman Shittu AKA Zangalo as Chairman NAMTOP who was duly endorsed by the majority of Truckers and notable elders in the Maritime industry.
“In the light of the above therefore, we advised COMTUA subversive elements to refrain from their trite shenanigans and doomed effort of tarnishing the image of Honourable Shola Giwa for recovering a mandate that was fraudulently hijacked from NAMTOP in collaboration with Permanent Secretary.
“We urge members of the public to disregard the fake information being spread by COMTUA declaring Moshood Olaitan Adisa as the new Chairman of NAMTOP. We also urge members of the public to ignore the baseless allegation of partisanship role levelled against Honorable Shola Giwa,” the letter reads.
The new group said that there is only one NAMTOP with its Chairman as Alhaji Lukman Shittu AKA Zangalo and other structures duly supported by majority of Truckers and elders in the Maritime Trucking industry.
“The Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA) does not function as a legal entity. COMTUA is not recognized by the law. The primary aim of forming COMTUA has been defeated with dissolution of the Presidential Task Team PTT by the Government in the year 2020. COMTUA doesn’t have an RC number. Over five registered Transport Unions/Associations have tendered their withdrawal letter from COMTUA,” the letter stated.
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