COMTUA Reacts to NAMTOP allegations,
...Says election was free and fair
ZAINAB JUNAID
Following the allegations laid by the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP) against the Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA) that the association is not a legal entity and not recognized by law,, the National President of the latter, Mr. Yinka Aroyewun has debunked the accusations stating that COMTUA is legally backed up with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Mr Aroyewun in a chat with our correspondent last Sunday evening maintained that COMTUA is a collaboration of groups, corporate bodies, individuals and Registered Unions and Associations formed to address appalling issues affecting truckers in the maritime sector in 2018.
"COMTUA was a member of the Presidential Taskteam set up by the former Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, to see to the issues affecting the industry and all associations in the Maritime Transport industry shared money from the proceed of COMTUA in 2021. Some of the associations that collected ONE MILLION NAIRA (#1M) from COMTUA includes: NARTO, MWUN, AMATO, COTOAN, ACATOA, RTEAN, NURTW. None of the authors of the letter above contested the CAC status of COMTUA until now that their dominance in COMTUA is been checked. The question is, the NAMTOP in question is neither a collaboration nor a registered association as we speak," he said.
He explained that NAMTOP arrangement is a Lagos State affair, to liaise with the Lagos State government through the Ministry of Transportation on issues affecting truckers in the state. It does not change the status of each group or association. This is a form of partnership and has no overridden effect on COMTUA and it's activity.
According to him, "Hon Sola Giwa ( former Special Adviser to Mr Governor) earlier called Moshood Adisa and other members of their FIVE MAN state representatives to his normal Drink up joint Ikoyi to impress it on him to step down from the Chairmanship position he won for Mr Lookman Shittu and pick up the position of Financial Secretary. This is after all his effort to impose Lookman Shittu on truckers through the ministry of transportation has failed. One wonders why? The former SA failed to rid the roads of hoodlums and extortionist because he gets his returns from the proceeds feel with a Lookman Shittu he has an influence to retain the old order and even widen his net on truckers, secondly, he is comfortable to control Alhaji lookman Shittu because of his level of Education. The insistent of truckers to have a sound educated and knowledgeable man as our leader will not be in his interest; especially with the assurance of his return to the ministry he has extracted from the governor".
"The APC states chairman has turned to a pain to truckers since he has been using his political weight to intimidate the ministry inline with the wishes of Hon Sola Giwa. COMTUA has written a letter to the APC Chairman to advice him against bringing political party affair into trucking business, he called the National President of COMTUA to deny his involvement, yet, he is ever influencing the ministry and giving backing to a group over the other".
To him, "While some associations requested to withdraw from COMTUA, and their withdrawal requests been accepted, some other associations were expelled by COMTUA for their misconduct. In the process of this, some new associations have also joined COMTUA. The new associations are:GREEN INITIATIVES, and MARITIME TRUCK DRIVERS ASSOCIATION, MARINE BEACH TRUCK OPERATORS, AMUWO ODOFIN TRUCK AND PARK OPERATORS, AREWA AND FLAT TRUCK OPERATORS ASSOCIATION, LEKKI FERTILIZER TRUCK OPERATORS among others"
Meanwhile, on whether COMTUA defamed the Special Adviser, Mr Shola Giwa, COMTUA President maintained that Giwa is meddling into union issues to the extent of calling parties to accept his choice of candidate over truckers choice and a letter has been written officially to the state government and Hon. Shola Giwa to this effect.
It could be recalled that spokesman for National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP), Mr.Yakub Kolawole in an earlier letter made available to journalists on Sunday June 25th 2023, had alleged COMTUA of not being a legal entity and not recognized by the law.
In the letter, Mr. Kolawole stated 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 partly reads, "It has become necessary for us to make the following statements/clarifications on the above subject in the wake of partisanship allegation levelled against Honorable Shola Giwa by COMTUA regarding the selection of executive committees for Maritime Transport Operators in Lagos State:
1. Firstly, the acronym NAMTOP stands for the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators.
2. As part of effort 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 in Lagos State to come under one unified body.
3. Consequent upon the Lagos State Government directive, Maritime Transport Unions/Associations came together, suggested, deliberated and unanimously agreed to adopt the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators NAMTOP as the umbrella body of truckers to partner Lagos State Government on seamless implementation of the ease of doing transportation business policy 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 executive structures to coordinate the affairs of the umbrella body for successful implementation of Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State, the majority of Truckers and notable elders in the Maritime Trucking industry conveyed a general meeting and endorsed a Board of Trustees BOT, State and Zonal executive structures for NAMTOP of which a letter was written to the office of Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation.
"The leadership of COMTUA excluded itself in the selection of NAMTOP executive committees because their request to dominate executive positions at the expense of other Unions/Associations in NAMTOP was not granted. COMTUA later went and submit a parallel NAMTOP executive committee list to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation Alausa in defiance to the executive committees already endorsed by notable elders in the maritime trucking industry. As a result this, four registered trucking associations which includes Corporate Fleet Truck Owners Association CFTA, Container Truck Owners Association of Nigeria COTOAN, Truckers and Carriers Association of Nigeria TACAN, and Young Truck Owners submitted their letters of withdrawal from COMTUA," the letter reads.
Going further, it reads that," On the 17th of June 2023, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation held a meeting NAMTOP and COMTUA representatives at the Ministry of Transportation at Alausa with the view of resolving the impasse between us and COMTUA. A ten man reconciliatory committee comprising five representatives from NAMTOP and COMTUA was formed.
"On the 20th of June 2023, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation invited Truckers to another round of meeting at Alausa where the ten man reconciliatory committee selected in the previous meeting were eventually allowed to sit with the Permanent Secretary. Suddenly, members of COMTUA in the committee moved a motion for election of another NAMTOP executive committee outside the NAMTOP executive structure already endorsed by maritime trucking elders with Alhaji Lukman Shittu as it Chairman. Our members in the ten man reconciliatory committee walked out of the meeting. The remaining members of COMTUA in the committee at Permanent Secretary office conducted a sham election and declared one Mr. Moshood Adisa as the new Chairman of NAMTOP in Lagos State on social media outlets.
"The fraudulent COMTUA election that produced Mr. Moshood Adisa as the Chairman of NAMTOP was not supported or approved by Lagos State Government or the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transportation. There is no official announcement from Lagos State Government or the Permanent Secretary recognizing Moshood Adisa as the new Chairman of NAMTOP. Therefore, the election is ultra vires, null and void. Alhaji Lukmon Zangalo is the legitimate Chairman of NAMTOP in Lagos State. The creation of parallel NAMTOP group and dubious election conducted by COMTUA is a plot to sabotage the unification of truckers and implementation of Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State. The sham election is potential recipe for criminal breach of public peace and disunity among truckers.
"COMTUA, whose regular trade mark is cheap blackmail, is only trying to blackmail Honourable Shola Giwa and others for not supporting its shambolic election that produced a fake Chairman. How does Honorable Shola Giwa’s silence in the face of COMTUA sham election translate into his abuse of Office and causing disunity among Truckers? Rather, Lagos State Government should prosecute COMTUA members for abusing the Ministry of Transportation office through the conduct of an illegitimate election that is capable of causing disunity among Truckers and sabotage the implementation of Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State. In the light of the foregoing therefore, we kindly crave the public indulgence to ignore the baseless allegation of partisanship role being levelled against Honorable Shola Giwa by subversive elements of COMTUA.
"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 Presidential Task Team PTT by the Government in the year 2020. COMTUA doesn't have RC number. Over five registered Transport Unions/Associations have recently tendered their withdrawal letter from COMTUA in support of NAMTOP,"Mr Yakub Kolawole disclosed in the letter.
