The embattled former president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, has been lambasted for over his accusation of the Chief of Staff to the President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Baruwa had in a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter to President Tinubu accused Gbajabiamila of backing Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya’s presidency in the NURTW.
In a response, yesterday, the council chairmen of the NURTW in South West states, comprising Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti and Ondo, Alhaji Mustafa Adekunle (Sego), Alhaji Mustapha Ismail Adewale (Yaro), Chief Joseph Falope (Olofooro) and Ademola Odudu, respectively, described Baruwa as “a drowning fellow who would cling to anything to survive” and accused him of fabricating falsehood to gain public sympathy.
They pointed out that Baruwa’s team had previously blamed Asiwaju Tinubu and former NURTW President, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, for their problems only to shift the blame to Gbajabiamila.
The chairmen emphasised that the problems in the union stemmed from Baruwa’s disregard for a court order.
“In 2023, some aggrieved members of the union in South West had instituted legal action at the National Industrial Court in Lagos challenging his competence and legitimacy to contest for second term in office and the presiding judge in her wisdom had ordered parties in the matter to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending determination of the case challenging Baruwa’s eligibility for a second term.
“However, Baruwa, out of desperation, ignored the order and conducted a Kangaroo delegate conference without recourse to the court’s position.”
The chairmen claimed that Baruwa ignored the popular saying that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. They expressed regret that Baruwa, who they claimed should be in jail for contempt of court, was instead accusing innocent people of being the problems in the union. They maintained that the people of the South West, who had nominated Baruwa in 2019 had rejected him again in 2023 after serving four years.
The chairmen alleged that Baruwa had destroyed the union during his first four years in office and could not be trusted with another four years by members of the union in the South west
“It should be noted that by the time he assumed office in 2019, all the six state councils in South West were intact and under the umbrella of the union, but barely one year in office, Baruwa destroyed the union and members in the region suffered the consequences. In fact, we are yet to get Oyo and Osun states back into the NURTW family.”