The Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria has called on the Lagos State Government to reverse its decision of not allowing passenger vehicles from the northern part of the country into Lagos State.
RTEAN’s Secretary-General, Yusuf Adeniyi, made the allegation in a statement on Friday.
In the statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, Adeniyi said Kwara and some other northern states branch of RTEAN received information that the Lagos State Government had stopped the operation of passenger vehicles coming from the northern part of the country.
He said the directive came from the state’s agent, Deputy State Chairman, Seyi Bamigbose (A.K.A Student) of Park and Garages, constituted by Lagos State Government after the suspension of the operation of RTEAN in Lagos State.
He said: “This matter has since been taken to the National Industrial Court and the court gave an order for the parties involved to maintain a statue quo.
“The Lagos State government however refused to bring the committee of the Park and Garages constituted to abide by the order.
“Now, the association (RTEAN) is beginning to believe that the action of the Lagos State government is tantamount to contempt of the court order.
“The recent action (stopping the operation of passenger vehicles coming from the northern part of the country) by the Lagos State government through the Park and Garages is in itself an act that may likely cause the breach of public peace.
“To this end, the association is calling on the Lagos State government to immediately reverse its decision of not allowing passenger vehicles from the northern part of the country getting into Lagos State.”
According to Adeniyi, reversing the action will allow freedom of movement of all citizens as guaranteed by section 41 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The secretary-general said RTEAN was a registered trade union under the law as enshrined in section 5 sub 7 of the Trade Union amendment Act, Cap T14 Laws of the Federation, which empowers RTEAN to operate anywhere in the country as a trade union including Lagos.
“RTEAN is a peace-loving organisation that carries out its operations within the ambit of the Law and will remain so,” he added.
