Enugu state chairman of the Association of Tricycle Riders Transport Union (ATRTU), Comrade Benjamin Ikah, has described a rival tricycle union, Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN), as an association operating in the air in the state.
“TOAN is a one man business. As far as I am concerned, TOAN is operating in the air in Enugu state,” Ikah said.
Ikah who was referring to the court judgment TOAN obtained recently from the National Industrial Court (NIC), to stop ATRTU from operating in Enugu state but TOAN instead, said the TOAN chairman, Kingsley Ede, was embarking on a selfish mission and therefore not recognised in the state.
Speaking in an interview over the court judgment of December 9, 2020, Ikah said the union had already appealed the judgment and that they have secured a stay of execution that status quo should be maintained pending the determination of the appeal.
“We are already in court. After the judgment of the 9th of December, 2020, our lawyer quickly filed a notice of appeal and a stay of execution as it is provided in the law that when there is a judgment and any unsatisfied party appeals against the judgment, status quo must be maintained pending the determination of the appeal,” he said.
He added that Ede was a member of ATRTU but because of greed, “he went and brought the one called, TOAN.”
He went further to state that ATRTU and TOAN were two different organisations and as such there is no way TOAN will displace ATRTU in Enugu state, pointing out that ATRTU is legally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), whereas TOAN is claiming to be a registered trade union with the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Ede had addressed the press in December saying that from January, 2021, following the NIC judgment, TOAN would start operating in Enugu state and would commence collecting tolls from tricycle operators instead of ATRTU.
