Members of National Union of Roads and Transport Workers, Osun state chapter has called on the state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, to wade in to the suffering being melted on them by the present executive of the union.
Speaking with newsmen during the weekend in Osogbo, they alarmed that they could no longer endure the hardship of ‘monkey dey work, bamboo dey chop’ they are passing through.
The crisis, according to them, started some months after the emergence of the chairman, Chief Lekan Folorunso Salami, when he increased the ticket fee from #150 to #300 and Units fee from #15,000 to #60,000.
The worst part, according to them, is their inability to load in every state that belong to Park Management just because they are still operating under NURTW.
Vice Chairman, Lagos Park at Ojuurin in Osogbo, Mr Kehinde Tiamiyu told our reporter that the burden on them is becoming unbearable since Salami took over the leadership of the union in the state.
Mr. Tiamiyu noted that they have no connection in any state again because they are still operating under NURTW. He said, “We were all National before. If anything happen to any of our members, its a matter of making calls and it would be settled but now, it is not so.
“They did not allow us to load in some part of the Southwest again. State like Lagos, Ondo, Oyo are not allowing us to load passengers because we don’t have members there and all our complaints are falling into the Salami’s deaf ears just because of the third agenda he is pursuing.
“If NURTW is not possible again, government should create Park Management for us. We are suffering, we are hungry, we couldn’t feed our families again. Every other state are now operating under Park, we want Park in Osun too. Dealers are collecting their buses from us because we couldn’t fulfil the delivery agreement”
Chief Tajudeen Olaiya, who is the Secretary of Lagos Park at Ojuurin in Osogbo said Salaami is kneeling on their neck by the financial burden he puts on them.
According to him, “The ticket fee was #150 before but now it is #300. We do collect it once a day before, but now, it is 5 times per day. It is whatever we collect from other states’ buses here that they will collect from us when we get to their states. It is too heavy on us. The daily due from park to state was #15000 before but it has been increased to #60,000 now.
“What we want now is for the state government to intervene, the exhorbitant fees should be reversed. Also, we dont want to stay under National again because we don’t have accord with our counterparts outside the state again, government should give us Park Management except they can speak with our people in other states to allow us to load passengers there”
Speaking in the same vein, Tajudeen Salami, chairman, Ilorin/Offa Park in Osogbo said tickets in other states is still #150 but in Osun, it is #300 which is affecting them. He appealed to the state government to speak with their state chairman to reconsider the high fees collecting from them on daily basis.
Secretary of the NURTW, Olorunda Branch 1, Saheed Bakare said, “I couldn’t load passengers in Lagos again and I got the buses on hired purchase, I have wives and children at home, no money to feed them. No more National in other states, if we have any problem, God forbids, nobody to help us because they are no more operating under NURTW”
But when contacted, Folorunso said he would not be the first chairman to seek 3rd term in office, adding that a state chairman in Osun once spent 24 years.
“I am not the first chairman that would seek another term. A chairman once spent 24 years and 4 months. Whoever is interested should obtain form and contest.
“The issue of ticket they mentioned. They are the ones benefiting from it. They are the ones taking all the profits. (Asiri) Kazeem Oyewale that spoke to you wanted to be the leader of Park Management. And the governor has intervened,” Folorunso said.
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