National Industrial Court Upholds Tajudeen Baruwa as NURTW President

The National Industrial Court in Abuja on Monday, has upheld Tajudeen Baruwa as the re-elected president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), while also dismissing the Tajudeen Agbede-led Caretaker Committee of the union.

Justice O. O. Oyewumi, delivering the judgment on the leadership crisis within the union, affirmed the validity of the delegates’ conference held on May 24, 2023, where Baruwa was re-elected for a second term.

The court also validated the Quadrennial National Delegates Conference held on August 23, 2023, where the president and other national officers were inaugurated.

Furthermore, Justice Oyewumi declared the national delegates’ conference held on October 25, 2023, as illegal, null, and unconstitutional, which led to the emergence of the current Acting President, Isa Ore, and his National Administrative Council.

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The judge restrained the former President of the Union, Najeem Yasin, from interfering in the day-to-day running of the union, stating that he could only act as the Chairman of the board of trustees.

The court’s ruling emphasized the absence of evidence of a crisis within the union, hence invalidating the invocation of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ that led to the formation of the caretaker committee.

Recall that previous events, including the takeover of the union’s secretariat by the Lagos State Park Management Committee and the subsequent arrest of Baruwa and other national officers by the police, had escalated tensions within the union. The Nigeria Labour Congress had also intervened, affirming the legality of Baruwa’s leadership and warning against any attempts to disrupt the governance of the transport union, which could lead to violence.