Date: 2021-05-07

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s handling of security matters, protection of lives and properties, and his commitment to the welfare of the masses is impressive, Nigeria’s foremost road transport union leaders said on Thursday.

The commendation soon triggered loud chants of four-plus-four from hundreds of members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), a coded language recommending the Governor for another term of four years in office.

Paying a courtesy visit on the Governor in Ilorin, the state chairman of the NURTW Comrade Abdulrazaq Ariwoola said: “we commend Your Excellency’s effort as regards the security of the state which allows Kwara to continue to be in harmony despite the happenings across the nation. As we implore you to put in more efforts to see to the total freedom of the state, we pray that Almighty Allah shall continue to back you up in all your endeavours.”

Ariwoola meanwhile appealed to the government to support the union with loan facility and give it more voice when decisions affecting the transport sector are made, saying the union appreciates the administration’s investment in road and other basic amenities.

He also applauded the state government for creating an enabling environment for NURTW to operate in the state capital and across the 16 local government areas of the state.

Responding to the remarks of the NURTW, the Governor commended the strategic roles the union and other Kwara stakeholders played in his victory during the 2019 governorship ballot and said the huge support explains his focus to satisfy the masses with projects directly touching their lives.

AbdulRazaq then requested the union to appoint a committee that would interface with the government on its requests.

“This administration will not neglect members of the transport sector. We know your role in the economy and we will give the support you need within available resources. So, let us have the list of members of the committee from your end that will work with us and fashion out modalities to offer assistance to members of NURTW,” according to the Governor.

AbdulRazaq however expressed concerns over the rising motor accidents on Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road, urging leaders of transport unions to up their enlightenment campaigns against excessive speed.

“We are fixing old and constructing new roads across the state. I must also commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the construction of Jebba-Mokwa road. It is one of the best roads in Nigeria now. But I want to appeal to leaders of transport unions to caution their members against excessive speed. The rate of accidents on the road is alarming,” he said.

"We have received complaints from FRSC and hospitals on the rising cases of accidents on the road and I want to appeal to all of you, including other road users, to be conscious on the road so as to avert accidents."