National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos and the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TOOAN) have announced the resolution of differences between rival tricycle associations in Lagos State, with Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Abiola appointed to lead TOOAN for an initial six-month period.

The development is aimed at unifying tricycle owners and operators, reducing the number of competing associations and promoting more efficient operations across the state.

The Lagos State Chairman of NURTW, Comrade Mustapha Adekunle Sego, disclosed this while announcing the reorganisation of TOOAN, assuring existing state and zonal chairmen that they would retain their positions.

Sego said the union had received a letter from TOOAN’s national leadership introducing Abiola as the state chairman, with the responsibility of coordinating the association’s affairs for six months.

He described NURTW and TOOAN as closely aligned organisations, adding that the resolution of differences between TOOAN and the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) had paved the way for a unified umbrella body for tricycle operators in Lagos.

In a letter addressed to the NURTW state chairman, TOOAN’s National President, Comrade Augustine Agbo-Akpe, and National Secretary, Comrade Christiana Adebayo, formally appointed Abiola as the association’s interim chairman for a six-month tenure.

Speaking on the development, Akpe said the appointment was part of efforts to consolidate peace within the tricycle transport sector and prepare the association for an eventual election.

He urged members not to interpret the development as a threat to their positions, assuring them that the reorganisation was intended to promote unity rather than displace existing officials.

“I am here to let the whole world know and hear from the horse’s mouth. Whatever you heard from the state chairman is true. You don’t have to fear about losing your job,” he said.

Akpe added that the association had chosen to entrust its leadership to Abiola while arrangements were made for an election, describing the decision as a step towards reducing the number of associations operating in the sector.

“This is not a sellout. We want to reduce the number of associations. We trusted somebody to be the leader until we begin to organise an election,” he said.

He congratulated Abiola on his appointment and urged members to support him in carrying out his assignment of harmonising the association’s activities across the state.

In his acceptance speech, Abiola described his appointment as a privilege and pledged to work towards the reorganisation and stability of TOOAN.

He assured zonal and branch chairmen that the exercise was not intended to remove them from office but to strengthen the association’s structure.

“My duty is to reorganise and not to dismiss. Don’t fight with anybody. Don’t cause chaos or mayhem in the parks. If there is any issue, come to me. My door is open,” he said.

Abiola stressed that the association belonged collectively to its members and that his appointment was an opportunity to serve rather than a means of exercising personal control.

“The union does not belong to me. It is our collective property. We are here to serve, and we will surely leave the stage one day,” he said.

He called on members to cooperate with the new leadership and avoid actions capable of disrupting activities in motor parks as the association begins its reorganisation. (Nigerian Tribune)