The maritime transport industry is likely to witness fireworks in the next couple of days as seven groups that claimed to be the founders of Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) said on Monday, July 31st that they have dissolved the body.
The seven groups also alerted security agencies and maritime stakeholders that the group has been dissolved and now remain an illegal body.
They stated that COMTUA, a child of necessity was established in 2019 by various truck associations and unions to form a common front in fighting the menace of Apapa gridlock.
According to them, the various groups include; Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Nigerian Association of Road transport (NARTO), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Container Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (COTOAN) and Amalgamation of Containers Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (ACTOAN).
They warned that nobody should relate with COMTUA again under any guise, adding that whoever parades himself as executive of the body should be treated as an impostor and subsequently arrested.
Speaking at the signing-off ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday, COMTUA Founding President, Comrade Thompson Olaleye said that the body ceased to exist with effect from 31st July, 2023.
“Consequently the freedom to associate, under which COMTUA was formed, has ceased upon the termination of the MoU and the body hitherto called COMTUA has died with effect from the day the consenting parties signed it off.
“Our meeting today is to let the whole world know that there is nothing like COMTUA anymore, and whoever still parades himself or any group of people claiming to be COMTUA is illegally doing so.”
While responding, President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju who was the first joint Board of Trustees Chairman, stated that union would go to sleep with two eyes closed following the dissolution of COMTUA.
According to him, COMTUA has achieved the purpose of its creation noting that MWUN will continue to have the interest of the port industry at heart.
Stephen Okafor, former Deputy President of the defunct group of truckers maintained that a letter will emanate from the founding fathers to inform the bank on COMTUA dissolution and outright freezing of accounts.
However, in a swift reaction to the purported dissolution, the National President of COMTUA, Comrade Adeyinka Aroyewun, warned the
former members who had resigned from the collaboration to cease and desist from “making claims and taking actions that are not only in violation of our collaboration’s rules and regulations but also contrary to a court order that has been secured against you and your associates.”
In separate open letters he wrote to Mr. Olaleye Thompson, the founding President of the Collaboration, the President of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Aroyewun reminded them that “the court order clearly stipulates that certain members who have resigned from our collaboration are to be substituted on our bank account. However, despite this order, you and your associates have resorted to making baseless claims and attempting to dissolve our collaboration. Such actions are in direct violation of the court order and constitute a breach of the cooperation agreement that you willingly entered into as part of our collaboration.”
He sharply demanded that they desist from interfering with the association or else they will be sued.
His words: “We hereby demand that you immediately cease and desist from any further attempts to dissolve our collaboration or interfere with our bank account. Failure to comply with this demand will leave us with no choice but to pursue legal action against you and any other individuals involved. This may result in severe consequences, including monetary damages and legal expenses.
“We strongly advise you to reconsider your current course of action and abide by the court order. It is in everyone’s best interest to resolve this matter amicably and without the need for protracted litigation. We believe that we can find a solution that satisfies all parties involved while upholding the integrity of our collaboration.
“Please be aware that we have retained legal counsel to represent our interests in this matter. They are closely monitoring the situation, and we will not hesitate to take all necessary legal measures to protect our collaboration’s rights and assets.
“We expect a written response from you within 10 business days confirming that you have ceased all attempts to dissolve our collaboration and that you will comply with the court order. Failure to provide a satisfactory response within the given timeframe will leave us with no alternative but to initiate legal proceedings against you.
“We sincerely hope that it does not come to that and that we can find a mutually acceptable resolution promptly.
“However, please be advised that we are fully prepared to take all necessary steps to protect our collaboration’s interests.”