NURTW Backs TOAN, Names Istijabah Lagos Chairman
The Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) has appointed Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Abiola, popularly known as Istijabah, as its interim Lagos State chairman for a six-month tenure, in a move aimed at promoting unity and stability among tricycle operators across the state.
The appointment was formally communicated by TOAN’s National President, Comrade Augustine Agbo-Akpe, and National Secretary, Comrade Christiana Adebayo, in a letter addressed to the Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Speaking at the NURTW office in Lagos on Monday, Akpe said the decision was part of efforts to harmonise the activities of tricycle operators, reduce divisions within the sector and prepare the association for a substantive leadership election.
He urged members to support the new leadership, stressing that the reorganisation was not intended to threaten the positions of existing officials but to establish a more unified structure for the association.
According to him, the appointment was a temporary arrangement designed to provide leadership while preparations for an election were underway.
Akpe explained that TOAN was committed to reducing the number of competing associations within the tricycle transport sector, adding that Abiola had been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating their activities pending the election.
He congratulated the new chairman and called on members to cooperate with him to ensure a peaceful transition and effective administration across Lagos State.
In his acceptance speech, Abiola described the appointment as a privilege and pledged to prioritise unity, organisational restructuring and stability within the association.
He assured zonal and branch chairmen that the exercise would not result in their removal from office, emphasising that his responsibility was to reorganise the association rather than dismiss existing officials.
“My duty is to reorganise and not to dismiss. Don’t fight with anybody. Don’t cause chaos or mayhem in the parks. If there is any issue, come to me. My door is open,” he said.
Abiola urged members to resolve disagreements through dialogue and avoid actions capable of disrupting commercial activities at motor parks across the state.
He also stressed that the association belonged to all its members, describing his appointment as an opportunity to serve rather than an avenue for personal control.
“The union does not belong to me. It is our collective property. We are here to serve, and we will surely leave the stage one day,” he said.
Earlier, the Lagos State Chairman of NURTW, Comrade Mustapha Adekunle Sego, confirmed that the union had received a letter from TOAN’s national leadership introducing Abiola as the interim chairman.
Sego said Abiola had been mandated to coordinate the association’s affairs in Lagos for six months as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation among tricycle operators.
He described NURTW and TOAN as closely aligned organisations, noting that the resolution of differences between TOOAN and TOAN had created an opportunity to establish a unified umbrella body for tricycle operators in the state.
The development is expected to support efforts to improve coordination, maintain peace in motor parks and strengthen the administration of tricycle operations across Lagos State.
