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Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, who was recently adjudged the President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers by an Appeal Court, speaks to CHUKWUDI AKASIKE about the delay in his reinstatement, among other related issues
How do you feel about the court ruling affirming you as president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers?
Of course, I am happy. There is no way we will not be happy because I believe in justice and Nigerians also believe in justice. I also do not believe in violence because I am a man of peace. That is why you see me going to court over the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers. It (judgment) shows that the masses today can go to court and expect justice to be done to their matters. It is a thing of joy to our members that they can seek justice in the court and get justice.
But those who lost against you in court are also members of the union. Have you reached out to them about your aim to ensure and sustain unity in the NURTW?
To me as a trade unionist, I believe there is no winner and there is no loser. As a journalist interviewing me, you are a member of one union or the other. Being a journalist, I know you can be a unionist. You may not be very active in trade unionism, but you are a member of a union. What I am saying in essence is that every member of the union is our person. It doesn’t matter if a member is part of the union that lost or won, he or she is still a member of the union so far the person follows the dictates of the law governing the union and the country. We are together to achieve great things for the union, and that is what matters most.
Have you reached out to NURTW members to calm them down not take the law into their own hands?
Well, I don’t think that we need to reach out to anybody to calm down. The point is that the people should obey the law. I don’t think there should be any argument about that. Whatever the dictates of the law, you as a citizen have to obey the law. It is when you obey the law that we can now sit down to have one-on-one discussions.
How did you feel in 2023 when it dawned on you that you have been removed as the NURTW president?
I did not feel bad because I always believed in the slogan of the union, ‘The struggle continues’. Again, I can say that I was not removed. They (my opponents) came there with thugs and tried to break all the doors of our office (NURTW national secretariat in Abuja). I had to move out of the place. They cannot come there and say they have removed me; I have my followers, but I told them (my followers) to calm down and that none of them should fight because we are all members of the same union.
I also told my members during the attack by the thugs that they should realise that we all are members of the same union and should not fight. I told them that we should not destroy the union with our actions. So, we allowed them to enter and we left the premises (of the NURTW national secretariat). I applied caution and restrained myself and my followers from fighting back or doing anything against the law.
As the legal battle went on before you eventually got judgment, did you at any point lose hope that victory would come your way?
As a human being, you should know that you must put your hope in Almighty Allah. As far as court cases are concerned, nobody can truly say the outcome until judgment is delivered. You cannot predict what the judiciary will say on any case until judgment is pronounced. You cannot say you are going to win or lose. That is why every man must pray and rely on God. But I knew at some point that I would win because I rely solely on God.
At a point, the crisis rocking the union took a frightening turn when a group of armed thugs invaded the NURTW national secretariat in Abuja and in the process, a security guard was killed. Where do you think the thugs came from? Who were their sponsors?
Everybody knows where the thugs came from. They were brought from Lagos. The sponsor of the thugs is my opponent. He spent almost nine years, and eight months in office as NURTW president and didn’t want to leave the position.
How many years is the president of the NURTW expected to stay in office?
An NURTW president is expected to spend four years, for one tenure, and eight years, for two tenures. My predecessor spent nine years as NURTW president. He completed Gidado’s remaining one year and did four years for two terms, making it nine years.
Why did members of the union not raise the alarm at that time?
When Alhaji Gidado died, Najeem (Yasin) was the deputy president then. So, it was automatic for him (Najeem) to complete Gidado’s tenure. We did not feel bad; we supported him to be there because we didn’t want any crisis in our union.
What triggered the crisis that led to the attack on the union’s national secretariat by thugs?
To me, only the general secretary can explain that to you. You know that I am a career officer. So, those who should answer that question know more than I do about what started the crisis in 2023.
Based on the Appeal Court’s ruling on November 8, Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, has been removed as the NURTW president. Why have you not been reinstated as the NURTW president?
You know that the law is a process, and we must follow the due process of the law. You cannot just bring any person and put them there as the union’s president because you have court judgment. Due process has to be followed. We are following due process to ensure that I am reinstated as the NURTW president, and I know MC Oluomo is not above the law; I am also not above the law. So, MC Oluomo cannot say he will not vacate that position.
Has MC Oluomo reached out to you after the judgment?
I will not answer that question directly. I will only tell you that MC Oluomo is very junior to me, and as of today, MC Oluomo is not a member of the union. So, whatever anybody tells you is not correct.
If you are saying he is not a member of the union, how did he get screened, win the election, and become the president of the union?
There was no election. The constitution of the union is very clear. Our election is once in four years, which we did in May and August. You know we are now in November; so, there was no election. You can ask them to tell you who was at the meeting where such a decision (making MC Oluomo the president of the union) was taken. They said they held a meeting, but he (MC Oluomo) is not even a zonal chairman. So, who were the people in the meeting they talked about? Was there any president (of the NURTW) in that meeting?
Are you not afraid that MC Oluomo’s occupation of the position of the union’s president may trigger another round of legal tussle over the leadership of the NURTW?
When somebody is not a member of a union, which court is he going to take me to? If someone is not a union member, you can’t be talking about any legal tussle. Which legal tussle are you talking about? There is no legal tussle or battle anywhere.
MC Oluomo is a strong loyalist of President Bola Tinubu. Are you worried that this may hinder your reinstatement as the president of the NURTW as directed by the court?
I don’t know what you are talking about. All I know is that I am President Bola Tinubu’s son. I am a Yoruba man and a member of the All Progressives Congress. So, everybody in Nigeria today is a son or daughter of President Tinubu. So, MC Oluomo is not the only son or loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. You and I and other Nigerians are Bola Tinubu’s sons now.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to obey the court judgment that affirmed your leadership of the NURTW. Do you think the government has a hand in the crisis rocking the union?
I am not aware of that because there is no information from anywhere to that effect. No one has told me that the Federal Government has a hand in the crisis affecting our union. I only heard the rumour that a top government official had been supporting him (MC Oluomo). That is the rumour that is making the rounds. Up till yesterday (Wednesday), we also heard that this top government official told MC Oluomo that he should not leave office and that nothing will happen. But it is a rumour because I did not hear it from the top government official himself. You know how rumours fly in our union, and when they do not see anything, they will not say it. They must see traces before they can say it out.
Before the court judgment, can you say the relationship between you and MC Oluomo was cordial?
You are taking me back. I said MC Oluomo is my boy. We don’t have issues. He was a member of the union before, but now, he is no longer a member.
What is your view about the government’s interference in the affairs of your union and other unions like the Student Union Government, and market unions?
I am not aware that the government interferes in our union’s affairs. I can only speak for my union (NURTW) and not for other unions, groups, or organisations. In my union’s case, I can only advise the government to let the law take its course. Whoever wins should be allowed to lead, and whoever loses should wait for another election.
When NURTW is mentioned, what immediately comes to mind is thuggery and violence. How do you intend to erase this impression?
We are not in support of violence. That was why when some sponsored thugs came to attack our secretariat, we did not fight them. We in NURTW are not thugs. I am the father of a lawyer; my first daughter is a lawyer, my second daughter is a medical doctor, and I have two or three people in the university now. So, can you call me a thug?
Instead of fighting, I should think of my child, who is a lawyer. She will not be happy that her father is involved in violence. There is no thuggery in our union. Those who fight or get involved in thuggery are not members of our union; they are not drivers. In our union, we don’t fight. Even if we have any misunderstanding as union members, within the next 20 minutes or one hour, that misunderstanding must have been resolved.
What is your message to members of your union?
I will tell all members of the union to be calm. We don’t want any crisis in the union. That was why we went to court to seek redress on the issue concerning the leadership of the union. By the grace of God, I will be in office. So, everybody should be calm.
