By Tunde Ojudun
The Chairman, Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operations Committee (LASTCOC), and CEO of Zangalo Commercial Enterprises Ltd.,
Alhaji Shittu Rotimi Lukmon, has explained why he chose to step down as Chairman of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Lagos State.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new AMATO Lagos State Executive Committee led by Alhaji Ahmed Saro, Alhaji Lukmon stated that balancing the dual responsibilities of leading LASTCOC and AMATO proved increasingly difficult. He highlighted that there were times he was summoned to Alausa, the seat of Lagos State Government, while simultaneously being required in Apapa to resolve truckers’ challenges. He confessed that managing both roles unsettled him, as he has always believed in giving his best wherever he serve.
The LASTCOC boss emphasized the strain of combining union leadership with government representation, which informed his decision to tell the National President of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, of his plan to relinquish the chairmanship position. Chief Ogungbemi, however, told him to continue to hold forth until a new chairman would emerge.
Alhaji Lukmon who was honoured, as he received the People’s Forum Award for Most Outstanding Role Model in Transport and Logistics Management at the occasion, pledged his full support to the new AMATO Lagos State Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Saro, and expressed his commitment to ensuring his success in advancing the interests of maritime truck owners.