Date: 2018-12-15

The National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin says the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the union and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was meant to guarantee smooth movement of electoral materials from the commission's headquarters to across all the thirty six states of the federation including the federal capital territory, Abuja.

Alhaji Yasin said all the state union chairmen were invited for the signing of the memorandum in Abuja to review their partnership with INEC and further improve on it particularly where there were lapses during the 2015 general elections .

According to him, in the MOU, there was a clause that warned his members against being partisan which he said had led to the replacement of the Chairmen of Jigawa and Edo of the union who are presently occupying political offices and had been replaced with non partisan members. The NURTW President who expressed these views in a chart with newsmen, stated that the riverine areas have also been taken care of and captured in terms of using boats for the early transportation of electoral materials.

Alhaji Yasin added that to avoid delay in the transportation of materials, all their vehicles would be on stand-by for onward movement to their various destinations twenty hours before take off , while the names of the affected vehicle drivers, their registration numbers and their telephone numbers would be forwarded to INEC office for proper coordination and monitoring.

He, however, appealed to the Federal government to ensure that all roads are made motorable before the general elections for smooth transportation and movement of the electoral materials and urged the drivers to abide strictly by all rules and regulations on the highway as the union is also working hand in hand with the FRSC who will inspect all their vehicles before take off.