By NewsCritic reporters
The Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, Abia State Deacon Amaobi Ohaeri has called on the Abia State government to restrain the former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Abia state, Comrade Eugene Eze Job before he sets the state on fire with his distasteful activities in the state’s transport unions.
In an interview with NewsCritic online in Umuahia, Deacon Amaobi Ohaeri said that with the way Eugene Eze Job is going, if nothing is done to call him to order the state is at risk of a brutal confrontation of unimaginable scale between the various transport unions.
The Abia State NARTO boss revealed that the ugly incident which took place at Osisioma park recently whereby someone had his eye plucked out is an eye opener to what is about to happen due to the activities of Eugene Eze Job.
He said that Eugene Job is in the habit of going against laid down rules guiding the activities of motor unions in the state, especially as it relates to loading and offloading of vehicles. Deacon Amaobi Ohaeri stressed that despite the fact that the chairman of Osisioma LGA had issued directives on the mode of operations of the motor unions in the area and banned vehicles from loading at Olaz Oil, that Eugene and his men are flouting this order thereby causing problem at Osisoma.
Deacon Ohaeri pointed out that the filing station is not a motor park, adding that it is even risky to use it as a loading point, neglecting the Osisioma park which is the central park. He named one Michael Achillefu and Tochi as the men Eugene Eze Job use to perpetrate this illegality and breach of peace of the area.
According to the NARTO boss, last week there were to many fights at Osisioma as a result of which boys were allegedly recruited from Aro-Ngwa in their hundreds as thugs to fight rival transport groups. He regretted that the likes of Eugene Eze Job have messed up the transport unions and portrayed it as job only fit for the miscreants in the society which is not supposed to be so.
Speaking further, he explained that Eugene Eze is no longer the chairman of NURTW and SATOA being that the national leadership of the union dissolved his leadership and instituted a caretaker committee in its place. Again, he said that the Abia state governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu proscribed the two unions and stopped them from operating in Abia because of their unwelcomed activities.
He stressed that he was surprised when the state government through the office of the SSG announced that the state government has pardoned Eugene Eze Job to start operating in the state, and demanded to know if the national leadership that dissolved his leadership has reinstated them.
Chief Amaobi Ohaeri maintained that the activities of Eugene Eze Job is causing breach of peace and needless violence in the state and should be stopped before it gets out of control. Activities: he is causing breach of peace, mayhem , violence…in Obingwa LGA one Ogaranya who says he is the chief of staff to Eugene as at last week stopped a meeting of the joint transport union there. That it was on the instructions of Eugene. It almost led to bloodshed. In Aba main park one nwanwenne has refused to pay the NARTO what it is due to them saying he got instruction from Eugene, is he not calling for violence.
What is happening in Osisoma is it not attempt to cause violence and breach of peace of the area even in Umuahia LGA where even after court judgement the people refused to allow any union work there…the state govt should here this and intervene before Eugene sets this state on fire.
To me I decided to tell our members to calm them before I know the worth of what we are doing and we have been patient because we respect what our governor is doing in Abia today. Again, let me tell us that Eugene is trying to cause problem in Abia so that other union’s will be proscribed and was done to his union. I told my members not to be confrontational.. because if we decided to follow him the way he is going there will be lawlessness…
Demands: let govt call comrade Eugene Eze Job to order because the problem cooking within the transport union in Abia if it explodes it will not augur well for us. We are petitioning the govt and ABHA this is our state and we have to protect it and enjoy peace and secure it.