Kwara State Ministry of Transportation has debunked allegations by the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) in the State accusing the management of the Ministry of Transportation of intimidation, bias and preferential treatment towards other transport unions.
The Ministry, in a statement issued on Monday through its Press Secretary, Alabere Ahmed, described the claims as unfounded and lacking substance, stressing that they were an attempt to cast aspersions on the integrity of the Ministry and the State Government.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Hon. Lafia Aliyu Korasabi, while reacting to the development, expressed concern over the action of some NARTO members who reportedly stormed the Ministry in the late hours of Monday. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s non-partisan disposition towards all transport unions operating in the State.
According to him, the Ministry has consistently maintained a policy of mutual respect, peaceful engagement and adherence to law and order in its dealings with all transport unions, adding that the same standard is expected from every stakeholder in the sector.
He explained that the disagreement between NARTO and the other three Transport Unions (NURTW, RTEAN and TOAN) had, on several occasions, been addressed by the Ministry in the presence of relevant transport stakeholders and government officials, noting that efforts to resolve the matter amicably had yet to yield the desired resolution.
The Commissioner further disclosed that NARTO subsequently sought legal redress by taking the matter to Court, where the case is still awaiting final judgment.
He added that the court had, in the interim, ordered the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case.
The statement clarified that the impounding of some tricycles earlier in the day was not orchestrated by the Ministry, but followed actions by the other parties in the suit, against the backdrop of what the Ministry described as an initial disregard for the subsisting court injunction by NARTO of which it took the apt intervention of the state police force which prevented the mayhem such demonstration would have caused.
The Ministry explained that taking custody of the affected tricycles was a proactive measure aimed at preventing possible loss, damage or theft of the vehicles pending further resolution of the matter.
The Ministry therefore urged members of the public to disregard the allegations against it, describing them as unsubstantiated and misleading.
It also stressed that resorting to demonstrations at government premises, particularly while a matter is before the court, does not promote respect for constituted authority or the rule of law.
The Ministry, however, reaffirmed its commitment to fairness, equitable service delivery and peaceful engagement with all transport unions and stakeholders, in line with the renewed transportation agenda of the Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led administration and its vision for a safer, orderly and progressive transportation system in Kwara State.
