The National President of Motorcycles Operators Union of Nigeria (MOUN), Comrade Julius Bobi, has said there are no factions in the leadership of the newly registered union or its presidency seat.
Bobi, however, alerted the Nigerian Government and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) of plots by persons who are not members of the union to hijack its leadership through the back door for their selfish goal.
In a statement, MOUN National President described the alleged ‘Special National Delegate Congress’ where one Comrade Sotayo Rasak Olusola emerged as a factional National President as illegal and aberration of the Union’s constitution.
Full Statement Below:
I hereby write in consideration of the obvious and conspicuously noticeable schism spearheading its ugly head with a cantankerous spirit in our newly birthed union (MOUN) by those whose minds are set to distract, divide and destroy without recourse to the sacrifices by all of us before its emergence.
The struggle to be registered began seven years ago and thus we stupendously worked and made invaluable sacrifices that paid off in September 8th 2023, with the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment, as a way of actualizing our dream of having a formidable union that will be organized, decent and law-abiding in order to contribute to the overall development of our dear country.
After our registration, we swiftly moved to be registered with Nigeria Labour Congress owing to our belief in its spread and general consensus of those present at the meeting. This we considered fit to enable us have a synergy anchored on our belief that “the more the merrier, and “the more we are, the stronger we become”. Also as a young organization stigmatized by the erroneous misconception of our members by the general public, we deemed it imperative to use all mediums available to us to correct all the misgivings, misconceptions, miscontruism and murderous apathy fellow motorcyclists in Nigeria are adjudged with.
Our registration was celebrated by all of us as a desirable feat inspite of the internal squabbles, pervasive rancour and self-seeking interest. Admittedly too, our celebration became short-lived when it was marred with an ardent desire by some members whose opinion was to have immediate letters with clearly designated positions for each one, so that the running of the union will take-off smoothly. My objection to the immediate issuance of the letters so requested was to enable us have a larger representation of members from all states as a way of also justifying who gets what. The intention for my objection was also to avoid a mistaken step that would later generate into consequent disagreement prompted by deficient consultation before issuance of such letters. And, all the steps I took was to safeguard and protect our new body from any imminent calamity under my watchful eyes as the National President in accordance with Rule 16 subsection G&H.
During our induction and affiliation with NLC, the National President told us to be circumspect and guard the union with jealousy as some registered unions only exist on paper due to infightings, selfish interests and lack of decorum among members. He advised us to organize the union and have properly inaugurated State Executives before embarking on Special National Delegates Conference that shall constitute members drawn from states, which might take 6 months to four years.
The purpose of the Special National Delegates Conference among other things is to elect and fill officers in the vacant positions as may be thought fit, for the effective running of the union. This was to enable us have a wider spread of appointments devoid of partisanship, as all states are expected to have representatives. But I never knew my sincere intention was misinterpreted to mean not allowing some selfish members have their way, as they felt threatened that if the spread is wider, they might lose their positions hitherto to some new members. For this reason, they beefed up their untiring insistence for Special National Delegates Conference even when the union has not inaugurated State Executives, which ought to have been done before a Special National Delegates Conference. Moreso, the Special National Delegates Conference as it were, is to be done in clear consonance with the constitution of the union without any ample deviation.
The insistence for the Special National Delegates Conference surged and brought division among us to the extent that Nigeria Labour Congress waded into it and asked us to sign a peaceful memorandum that will foster peace, unity and understanding for us to which we consented, but after its preparation for us to all endorse as agreed, the other faction of four members out of the six of the Executives who were present before the memorandum was reached refused to sign; meanwhile, I was the only one who signed it as was prepared by Nigeria Labour Congress. This was in flagrant deviance to what we have all agreed, as the signing was to precede a Central Working Committee slated for 18th of October, 2023.
However, the Central Working Committee held as expected with an agenda contrary to what I had expected or particularly the need to fix a Special National Delegates Conference without the inauguration of the State Executives as it were, so that delegates appointed for it shall be drawn from the State Executives so constituted. At the Central Working Committee meeting, there were so many discordances as factions began to emerge as though the union had already been factionalized. Also to my chagrin a member came with thugs as though supposing a premeditated belligerency. The meeting ended somewhat with a consensus adopted to have Special National Delegates Conference on the 9th day of November, 2023.
In retorting to the constitution of the union to which I swore an oath of allegiance under penalty of perjury as was insisted by some members who wrote to draw my attention to it, I discovered that the supposedly fixed Special National Delegates Conference is in clear deviance to our constitution hence we do not have any provision for the appellation “Special Delegates Congress” as was tagged; in clear terms of which I wrote a letter suspending it until further notice pursuant to the power vested on me as the National President with reference to Rule 8 subsection 1 of our constitution which states that “a Special National Delegates Conference shall be held at such time and venue as the National Executive Council may decide on the receipt of a request from the National President or a resolution adopted by a two-third (2/3) majority of the State Councils calling for such a conference. The resolution shall be forwarded to the General Secretary and National President of the Union”.
But to my greatest surprise, the “Special National Delegates Congress” still held with the firm support of the Assistant General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Denja Yaqub who, prior to the meeting and receipt of the notification for the cancellation of the meeting, staged an unwarranted argument with me, vehemently opposing its cancellation on grounds of late notification although I least expected this from him.
The information at my disposal is that the meeting didn’t hold the same day but was postponed to the next day and consequently held in Labour house with the attendance of Nigeria Labour Congress who should have sought to broker peace in all ramifications than support their faction brewed from illegality pursuant to our constitution. I was made to understand that they conducted an illegal election and got several people into elective positions, including Comrade Sotayo Rasak Olusola as the emerging illegal National President.
I must of necessity state very poignantly that I made all necessary efforts to settle the differences between us to no avail. Relentlessly too, I sent people who are aware of the feud to mediate between us, but they bluntly refused to grant them audience nor were available to meet with them; all because they have a clearly premeditated agenda of truncating the newly birthed union so they might be able to have their way as rebels.
In view of the above submissions, I am hereby calling on the general public, the government and whoever is dealing with them on the basis of our Union, to beware hence no longer working with the legitimate body of MOUN. We also warn them (all those under suspension) as have been clearly notified, to desist and refrain from further parading themselves as members of MOUN henceforth as this action amounts to impersonation, as we may not also hesitate to take a legal action within the confines of the law.
Yours in the struggle,
Comrade Julius Ogenewevgba Bobi, FCPAN
National President
Dated the 14th day of November, 2023.
