By Ayodele Abere.
The new leadership of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), in Ekiti State, Mr. Sunday Adeola, has called on the State government to ensure that both RTEAN and NURTW have a joint garage across the state for the sake of peace. The Chairman of the Association made the call while playing host to journalists in his office in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital.
Mr. Adeola noted that doing so would guarantee the security of the passengers and that ii will also assist the government to generate more revenues from the drivers.
Describing his emergence as the Chairman of the Association in the State as the Lord’s doing, he said it was a great surprise to him, noting that his immediate predecessor made several efforts to frustrate and deprive him (Adeola) of succeeding him.
Mr. Adeola, who is ready to carry every member along in whatever he does said he wants all and sundry to benefit from his administration as he explained that if there’s a need for hike in transport fare, that it would be jointly discussed and unanimously agreed upon by every member of the Association.
In his word, “now that I have become the Chairman, one of the things I first did was a reversal of the members dues to what they used to pay in the past contrary to arbitrary exploitation by my predecessor. Also, I warned the members against unnecessary increment of transport fare.
“I don’t want any trouble during my tenure and the idea of going about with gunmen like my predecessor did is not my own style of leadership. So I don’t want it. I have made a vow that what my predecessors couldn’t achieve during their own terms, that am going to achieve them during my own tenure. It is my wish that we build bus stops in those areas that there are no bus stops in the State capital and ensure that we commission them with some other projects by the time the State Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, will be marking his 100 days in office.
Considering the daily expansion of Ado being the State capital of Ekiti, Mr. Adeola said he has held a meeting with his people to see how they could broaden their scopes by plying some new areas within the State capital. “We need to see that taxis ply some new areas in Ado-Ekiti instead of bikes and tricycles only”. The Chairman opined.
“All these we have in plan as a way of showing appreciation to the State Government that saw into our appointment in a peaceful manner without any rancor which was the first of it in the history of the Association”. Said Adeola.
“At the end of my tenure when I will be handing over to my successor, it will go peacefully too without any rancor”. He said the precedent has been laid with the way he was emerged through the interference of the State government.
Admonishing the new Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, The RTEAN new leader, prayed God to give the Governor divine wisdom as granted to Solomon in those days and that He should surround him with good people that can help him to move the State forward, noting that some leaders are willing to work but because of the people that surround them who are only after what they will benefit, they won’t allow them to work as expected.
“BAO knows the problems of Ekiti people. He is a listening Governor and I believe his door is wide open to everyone that has good advice to offer him. He is God fearing”.