Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has granted an ex-parte application, restraining a former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Lagos Branch, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (a.k.a. MC Oluomo) and eight others from collecting union dues and levies from commercial drivers that are non-union members in all motor parks in Lagos State.
The ex parte application also restrained in the interim, the Lagos State Government from further enforcing an N800.00 transport union levy on transporters and commercial vehicles in the state, pending the determination of the plaintiffs’ substantive application .
The eight other respondents affected by the ex parte order are the Registered Trustees of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW); Registered Trustees of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN); Registered Trustees of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO); Alhaji Lawal Yusuf Othman; Lagos State Government; Attorney-General of Lagos State; Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and Director of State Security Service (SSS).
Justice Lifu had granted the interim order, sequel to an ex-parte application by a lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, for himself and on behalf of a new association, the Transport Union Society of Nigeria (TUSON).
Ogungbeje filed the application, supported by a 34-paragraph affidavit, in Suit FHC/L/CS/224/2022.
The plaintiffs are seeking for an order restraining the respondents from “forceful imposition, collection, extortion of any transport union levies. dues, fees or monies from any person, commercial vehicle diver and or transporter that is not a member of the respondents pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion filed before the court.
They also asked the court for an order restraining all the respondents from “arresting, detaining, harassing, embarrassing, humiliating, inviting, seizing and confiscating any commercial vehicle, disturbing and or interfering with the lawful Transport Business operations of the Applicant and its transport union members in connection with the facts of the case pending the determination of the substantive originating motion.
Justice Lifu had on May 8, after hearing Ogungbeje, ordered all the respondents in the suit to show cause within seven days from the day they were served with the application, why the orders sought should not be granted.
When the matter came up on Tuesday, Ogungbeje told the court that the respondents had been served with all the processes as directed by the court, saying that they failed to show cause within seven days as directed by the court.
He therefore urged the court to grant all the reliefs as prayed by the plaintiffs.
In a bench ruling, Justice Lifu granted the applicants’ reliefs as prayed and adjourned the matter till June 6 to rule on the applicants’ motion to join other parties to the suit.
Those seeking to be joined include the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command; Nigeria Police Force; Mr. Tajudeen Baruwa; The Registered Trustees of Motorcycle Operation Association of Lagos State (MOALS) and The Registered Trustees of Tricycle Owners and Operator Association of Nigeria (TOOAN).
Others are the Registered Trustees of Nagari Nakowa Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Lagos State; (NNAMORAL) HRH Oba Adeshina Suleiman Raji, (a.k.a JAFO Authority; Lagos State Park and Garages Management Committee; Mr. Hakeem Odumosu (AIG) (rtd) and Dr. Taiwo Olufemi Salam.
