Ekiti NURTW members lament seizure of buses

Members of theNational Unionof Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ekiti State have decried the seizure of their vehicles by an insurance company and the state Ministry of Works and Transportation.A senior member of the NURTW in the state, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, at the weekend, that the buses were impounded about six weeks ago.According to the driver's union chief, the buses were recalled by the state government on the grounds that it wanted to re-negotiate the agreement on the lease of the buses.The buses, said to be about 22 in number, were distributed to the members of the NURTW in Ekiti State by the immediate past administration of Chief Segun Oni and they were currently parked on the premises of the state Ministry of Works in Ado-Ekiti.It was also gathered that some of the buses were parked at the head office of the insurance company in Lagos, allegedly on the instructions of the Ekiti State Ministry of Works.The drivers were complaining that their means of livelihood had been grounded by the authorities and appealed to the state government to intervene and release the buses, to allow them to continue their businesses.Chairman of NURTW in Ekiti State, Chief Julius Jegede, confirmed that the buses were seized by the insurance company.On whether members of the drivers' union had been defaulting in the payment for the buses allocated to them, Jegede said to the best of his knowledge, his members had been forthcoming in defraying the debt incurred on the buses, adding that the union had written a letter to the state Ministry of Works to expedite action in the process of re-negotiation, to fast-track the release of the vehicles to his members.Reacting to the development, the state Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Funminiyi Afuye, said the buses were reclaimed by the insurance company 'because they are not meeting up with their repayments, despite using the buses everyday and making money for themselves.'The insurance company was said to have expended about N400 milion to buy the buses and was said to have taken the step to avoiding going under.
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