Transport to be grounded as NURTW threatens to join strike

By Tayo Aderinola

The Chairman of the Lagos State Branch of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, announced on Monday that the union would join the planned NLC strike if government and labour failed to resolve their differences.

“We are an affiliate of the NLC, we shall obey its directives. So we have no choice than to join the strike anytime we’re called upon to do so,” Agbede told the transport correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Nigerians are waiting anxiously to know the outcome of a last minute dialogue between government and organized labour over a nationwide strike, scheduled for Nov. 6 by labour unions, arising from disagreements with government over a national minimum wage.

Labour has demanded N30, 000 but the Federal Government insists it can only pay N24, 000 while state governments offered to pay N22, 500.

Public sector workers in Nigeria are among the least paid in the world, although political office holders in the country, including members of the country’s bicameral parliament earn some of the biggest wages in the world.

Also speaking on the strike, the District Manager of the Nigeria Railways Corporation, Mr Jerry Oche, said that the company would not operate if the proposed strike got underway.

“We are not going to operate if there is strike. But if there is no strike we will operate but we wish the situation is resolved before tomorrow,” Oche said.

Mr Fola Tinubu, Managing Director of Primero Transport Services Ltd., said that the company’s buses would operate strike or no strike.

“Yes, we are operating tomorrow,” Tinubu said.

Suleiman Jafo, Chairman of the Nagari Nakowa Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association, told NAN that members of the body would operate, provided movement was not restricted.

Lagos Panorama

“We are not salary earners. We eat from our daily operations,” Jafo said.

Police Go Tough On Kidnappers, militants as force demolish criminal hideouts in Ishawo creeks

Police Go Tough On Kidnappers, militants as force demolish criminal hideouts in Ishawo creeks

The people of Ishawo Community in Ikorodu will no longer sleep in apathy and anxiety over the nefarious activities of hoodlums who have turned the area into den as security operatives from the Lagos State Police Command deployed to the riverine area Wednesday commenced total demolition of illegal waterfront shanties within the creeks.

The State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni who briefed journalists in Ishawo on the ongoing operations in the creeks by a combined team of the State Marine Police, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), mobile policemen and the men from the anti-kidnapping squad in coordination with the local vigilante group, said 13 suspected kidnappers have already been arrested and are currently aiding the team to track down the remaining suspects still on the run.

It would be recalled that two weeks ago, four Police Officers and one Army Captain lost their lives after an ambush unleashed on them by suspected militants in Ishawo area.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, while condoling with the families and loved ones of the departed officers, had assured that every perpetrator directly or remotely linked to the dastardly act would be brought to justice in the shortest possible time.

Owoseni said that the Governor immediately ordered a joint operation to hunt down the perpetrators, adding that the operation was yielding positive results.

“So far so good following the attack that occurred at Ishawo where we lost four of our policemen and army captain, we have deployed operatives in the water. What you have seen now is for us to appraise what we have been doing for the past one week. So, quality arrests have been made and we are talking to them because the arrests that were made we believe that we get some evidential value from them, so they are talking to us, at least that makes us to know who we are looking for so that we won’t be just wild catching,” Owoseni.

Owoseni said that one of the suspected militants died during a fierce encounter with the Intelligence Response team of the Inspector General of Police, assuring residents in the area that they would go all out to ensure that they fish out all criminal elements in the State.

He commended the synergy of the combined efforts of the security operatives, just as he added that the efforts of the local vigilante groups who are familiar with the terrain was critical to the operation especially in aiding to navigate the hideouts of the militants.