THE BETRAYER IS BACK!

Lagos Appoints MC Oluomo Parks Management Committee Chairman

By Lanre Olaleye

In what appears as the last scene of a plot, the Lagos State Government has appointed the suspended Lagos State Council Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya popularly called MC Oluomo, as the chairman of its new Parks Management Committee.

Oluomo's appointment which was contained on a press statement yesterday did not come as a surprise to keen followers of the power play among members of the road transport union in the state.

As exclusively reported by The Snoop, Akinsanya had voluntarily handed over the reign of the union to the state government in order to be appointed the new helsman of the Park Management Committee.

This followed disagreement between Akinsanya and the former Chairman of Branch C of the union, Alhaji Abiola Azeez (a.ka Istijabah) over the directive from the national headquarters of the union for the inauguration of the executive committee of the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TROOAN) in the state which Oluomo vehemently rejected.

His rejection caused the national body to suspend him indefinitely over misconduct and inciting members of the State chapter against the apex body.

But rather than show remorse, the embattled Oluomo took the offensive by announcing his withdrawal and that of his state executive committee members from the national body.

Shockingly, he advised the state government to take over the management of parks and garages across the state. That was the final act of betrayal by Oluomo as stakeholders in the state accused him of selling the union to the state government on the alter of greed and power.

For a long period, the N123 billion annual revenue of the Lagos State Chapter of the NURTW has b

een a major attraction to the state government. Successive administrations in the state had tried unsuccessfully to take over the control of park and garages in the state until Oluomo did the unthinkable.

The Snoop exclusively gathered that Oluomo was promised the chairmanship position of new park committee if he successfully hands over the union to the state government.

Though, the state government denied it was about to name Oluomo as the chairman of the park committee at the wake of the crisis bedeviling the union but it was actually bidding its time to complete the plot.

To give the new park committee an air of authority, the state government also appointed a former Assistant Inspector General of Police and immediate past Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu as the Liaison Officer between the government and the committee.

This was contained in a press statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, titled, “Lagos govt sets up Parks Management Committee”.

An ex-Permanent Secretary, Dr. Taiwo Salaam, was also appointed as the secretary of the committee while Sulyman Ojora was appointed as the Deputy Chairman.

The appointments were announced less than four weeks after the Lagos State Governmrnt denied plans to appoint MC Oluomo chairman of the parts committee.

The Lagos State government suspended the activities of NURTW in all parks and garages across the state after MC Oluomo was suspended by NURTW national body.

The statement read, “The Lagos State Government has set up a committee to oversee the affairs of all motor parks and garages in the state.

 “This is in fulfillment of the Government’s promise to ensure that events in the National Union of Road Transport Workers are not allowed to threaten law and order.

“The Government has, therefore, exercised its constitutional powers to ensure that no vacuum, which can disrupt the peace of our dear state,is allowed to exist in the parks. This is a duty we owe all Lagosians and visitors.

“Members of the committee, who have been selected following consultations with stakeholders in the sector, are:

1. Mr. Hakeem Odumosu (AIG Rtd) – Government Liaison Officer

2. Alh Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya – Chairman

3. Alh Sulyman B. Ojora – (Deputy Chairman )

4. Dr. Taiwo Olufemi Salaam (Secretary)

5. Comrade Olayiwola Lemboye

6. Alh Mustapha Adekunle

7. Alh Ganiyu Shittu

8. Alh Mukaila Runsewe

9. Alh Sulyman Yusuf

10. Alh Mufutau Mutiu

11. Alh Yinka Hassan

12. Alh Sunday Ogunleye

13. Alh Moshood Omojowa

14. Alh Ismaila Aigoro

15. Alh Ibrahim Yusuf. O

16. Alh Akeem Tijani

17. Mrs Omolabake Adelakun

18. Comrade Kazeem Hassan

19. Alh Wasiu Amole

20. Alh Ganiyu Ayinde

21. Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye

22. John Victor Owolabi

23. Saburi Salami

24. Ibrahim Onitiju

25. Odusanya Gbenga

“Members of the committee are to report to the Ministry of Transportation, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

“The Government on March 10 suspended NURTW operations in all parks and garages, following the tension sparked by some events in the union.”