RTEAN Southwest urges calm amid leadership rift, seeks minister’s intervention

He disclosed that the zone had formally petitioned the minister, arguing that Mohammed should step aside to allow for an impartial investigation, insisting that he cannot preside over matters in which he is directly implicated.

According to Agbede, the grievances were initially presented to the National Executive Council (NEC) at a meeting, but the council failed to act on their report, prompting the escalation of the matter to the minister.

The southwest zonal chair said, "The situation in Southwest right now calls for caution.  Sometime in January,  this year.  The Southwest discovered some maladministration and misuse of power, embezzlement of union funds, on the side of the embattled national president of the union, Dr Musa Mohammed. We held a meeting and we conveyed our grievances to the NEC, but the when the report of the meeting got there, NEC gave it no audience.  Thus, the Southwest declared trade dispute and by implication of that we are able to stand on our own and administer ourselves pending the determination of the issue led to the trade dispute declaration.  

"We wrote a petition to the Minster of Labour and Productivity, we were invited and we made a case that the embattled Musa Mohammed should step aside because he cannot be a judge in his case. Though  the meeting with the Minister is still ongoing, he is now trying to pokenose into the affairs of the Southwest by issuing illegal legal letters, by our  declaration of trade dispute, we told him we are no.longer him.pending the resolution of our demands. So if takes100 years we will continue to administer ourselves because it is enshrined in our constitution and Labour Act.

 Temporary independence is granted pending the determination of the case.  Until the issue is resolved, we remain independent in the Southwest.  

"Infact there was no free and fair election for him. He took everybody to Army Barracks in Abuja, and only his loyalists were permitted to enter the venue for the Delegate Conference.  It has never happened before. He was the first that took to the union to such venue for conference. The case is still on the table of the Minister of Labour and Productivity,  but coming to the Southwest to meddle into our affairs, despite the declaration of the trade dispute,  we are acting on that very soon."

Southwest Secretary of RTEAN, Tiwalade Akingbade, alleged that the president was trying to  be a despot, but the Southwest leadership could not tolerate that. 

He also urged members to remain calm, saying RTEAN members don't fight because "he who lives in a glass house doesn't throw stones."

"We have our internal mechanism to resolve conflict. We have forwarded our complaints and letter to the appropriate quarters. We have forwarded our letter to the minister,  we were called to a meeting around mid-March,another meeting was rescheduled for 31st of March ,but unfortunately we were unable to have another meeting since then. We were to have another meeting last week, but due to the Workers' Day it couldn't hold. We are expected to be in Abuja again this week for another meeting.  We don't have two RTEAN camps in Southwest. We are doing is collective decision of leaders in Southwest," he added.