Following Okanlomo’s appointment, the union also announced the dissolution of the earlier inaugurated 35-member Lagos State RTEAN executive council.

The RTEAN National President, Musa Muhammed, made the development known in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday.

Muhammed said, “In reference to the resolution reached by the Federal Executive Council and organised Labour in reconciling our matter with the Lagos State Government and the national executive of our great association, the RTEAN, we announce the dissolution of our former structure of Lagos State executives council members, and adopt the appointment of Adeshina Hussaini (Okanlomo) as the chairman of the Lagos State branch of the RTEAN.

“All those members who were suspended in the course of the matter are hereby recalled for the interest of peace and harmony in the state. We call on all members to be law-abiding and constitutionally guided.”

In another statement signed by the RTEAN General Secretary, Yusuf Adeniyi, the union noted that the move complied with the provision of item 6 of the Memorandum of Understanding dated October 2, 2023, between the Federal Government of Nigeria and organised labour, to bolster industrial harmony and ensure strict adherence to the rule of law.

Adeniyi said, “The contentious issue of RTEAN leadership has been laid to rest with the unanimous appointment of a new state chairman. Adesina Hussaini a.k.a Okanlomo is the new chairman of the RTEAN in Lagos State effective from January 1, 2024.

The Lagos State RTEAN and all property hitherto taken away will hereby be returned to the union. The operation of the RTEAN in all motor parks in Lagos State is to resume with immediate effect. No member of the RTEAN will be victimised by the union or the Lagos State Government for their role in the dispute.

“We are therefore calling on all our members to comply with the peaceful resolution reached and cooperate with the government and security agencies in discharging their duties. We thank all those who contributed in one way or the other, for seeing this matter get resolved amicably.”

The Federal Government resolved the 15-month-long dispute between the RTEAN and the Lagos State Government.

In a letter dated January 6, 2024, and addressed to the Trade Union Congress, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, revealed that the ban initially slammed on the union’s operations in Lagos State had been lifted following a peace move brokered during a meeting with the leadership of the organised labour.

The resolution laid to rest the contentious issue of RTEAN leadership with the unanimous appointment of a new leadership for the union in the state.

For 15 months, the activities of the RTEAN were banned in Lagos state following a leadership crisis that engulfed the association.

This led the state government to slam a ban on the association and subsequently appointed a 35-man Caretaker Committee to take over the activities of the union.

However, the intervention of the Office of the NSA has now brought an amicable resolution of all issues that were initially in dispute.

In the letter signed by the NSA and addressed to the Secretary-General of the TUC, it was revealed that Adeshina Teslim (aka Okanlomo), has been appointed as the new Chairman of the RTEAN in Lagos State with effect from January 1, 2024.

According to Ribadu, the Lagos State office of the RTEAN and all properties hitherto taken away will returned to the union.

He added that the operation of the RTEAN in all motor parks in Lagos State is to resume with immediate effect.

“No member of RTEAN will be victimised by the union or Lagos State Government for their role in the dispute. Lagos State Government, its agencies, and the general public are to be intimated about the peaceful resolution.

“On this premise, you are humbly requested to intimate the union on the amicable resolution of the dispute and the highlights of the agreements reached,” the NSA stated in the letter.

Ribadu noted that the action complied with the provisions of Item 6 of the Memorandum of Understanding dated October 2, 2023, between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Organised Labour to intervene in the crisis to facilitate peaceful resolution of the issues.

The intervention of the Federal Government, he said, was also in line with the commitment of the present administration to bolster industrial harmony and ensure strict adherence to the rule of law.

Earlier, the Lagos state government had suspended RTEAN activities in the state, dissolved its elected leadership, and established a 25-member park management committee led by Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, to manage all motor parks and garages in the state. However, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria nullified the government’s decision and affirmed RTEAN’s right to operate in Lagos State in a ruling delivered on April 18th.

Following this court’s ruling, the Executive National President of RTEAN, Dr. Musa Muhammed Maitakobi, appointed Aransiola Kudus, the Deputy Chairman (Admin), as the acting Chairman of Lagos in accordance with Article 7:2ii(a) of RTEAN’s constitution during the trade union’s National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja.

Comrade Yusuf Adeniyi addressed journalists after the NEC meeting and stated that the organization was dedicated to following the rule of law and adhering to the court’s ruling. He stressed the significance of unity within the organization and urged all members to collaborate to enhance transportation services in Lagos State.

The appointment of Kudus as acting chairman of RTEAN in Lagos is significant as the organization may encounter opposition from other transportation unions and stakeholders following the court’s ruling.

This appointment may also impact the organization’s stance on matters such as discussions with the government and the well-being of its members.

Justice Maureen Esowe also reinstated the operations of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, in the state.

RTEAN had filed a lawsuit against the state government and other defendants for suspending its operations, taking over garages and appointing a caretaker body, known as the Parks and Garages Administrators.

The union through their counsel, Elisha Kurah, SAN, had argued that a state cannot interfere in the affairs of a trade union registered under the Trade Unions Act of 2004, adding that the state cannot dissolve the union, contending that such matters were handled by Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The state government however argued that they did not violate the law nor dissolve the national body’s operations in the state, but had sought to maintain law and order by creating the ad-hoc committee when violence ensued between the unions.

Ruling on the case, Justice Esowe dismissed the defendants’ preliminary objections to the suit, saying the matter was straightforward forward and that the court has jurisdiction to hear and determine, with no serious dispute to warrant an exchange of pleadings.

The judge held that the act of the Lagos State in suspending the National union’s operations in the state and setting up a caretaker committee was illegal and against the provisions of Sections 4 (1), (2)& (3), and 5 (1) &(3), read along with item 34 of the exclusive legislative list, of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The judge also held that the government and the Police should have intervened by arresting and prosecuting those behind the fracas and not inquiring into the dispute.

Lagos State government were further restrained from interfering with the operations of the union’s exco and ordered the police to refrain from intimidating the union’ s officers and to remove all barricades it imposed around their secretariat and grant them unfettered access to their offices.

It is expected that the Lagos State government and the Parks and Garages Administrators will study the judgment and act accordingly.

The governor had reportedly sealed the state office, suspended the entire Lagos State branch of the association and appointed a 35-member caretaker committee to run the affairs of the branch shortly after the isolated incidents in two chapels.

A statement made available on Sunday by the association’s Deputy National President, Abubakar Bishara, said the governor has no power to suspend the activities of any trade union, describing his action as unconstitutional.

The statement read in part, “None of the provisions of the Trade Unions Act confers or gives any power to any state governor to suspend the activities of any Trade Union, nor empowers the governor of Lagos State or any other state to appoint a caretaker committee for a Trade Union as a branch of it. The action of the governor is therefore ultra-vires and unconstitutional. We wish to further inform the members of the press that the constitution of RTEAN, which has been tested before the National Industrial Court, has made elaborate provision for chairmen of branches of the association to contest elections in the National body either as President or any other office and if elected, could also hold the two positions without hindrance by any law as the provision of the constitution of the association.”

“The association said the governor should have advised aggrieved members to approach the court “and not for the governor to delve into resolving constitutional issues embedded in the RTEAN constitution. It is not his responsibility.”

It added, “In any case, it is unfortunate that the very members who engineered and carried out the fracas are part of the people the governor appointed as members of the caretaker committee. It shows clearly that the governor took sides with those contesting the issue of the president of RTEAN doubling as the chairman of the Lagos branch of RTEAN.

“We, therefore, appeal to the governor of Lagos State to rescind his decision to suspend the activities of the Lagos branch and allow the RTEAN national body to look into the matter in line with its constitution.”