The Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Alhaji Shamsideen Ajala, has appealed to the Lagos State Government not to recognize any other transport union outside the two already established and recognized—RTEAN and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Ajala raised concerns over the proposed operation of the Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria (MOUN) in Lagos without affiliation to either RTEAN or NURTW, warning that such a move could contradict state transportation laws and potentially disrupt public order.

“The union is concerned about a possible breakdown of law and order that unrecognized transport unions like MOUN might cause in Lagos. That is why RTEAN would not support its operation in the state,” he said.

He urged the Lagos State Government to consider the legal and regulatory implications of recognizing additional transport unions, stressing that both RTEAN and NURTW are registered and officially recognized by the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government.

Ajala referenced a government white paper dated June 29, 2004, and a letter from the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation dated January 10, 2022, as proof of the government’s recognition of RTEAN and NURTW as the only legitimate transport unions operating in the state.

He, therefore, called on the Lagos State Government to halt any plans to recognize other transport unions and urged the Ministry of Justice not to lend legal support to such unrecognized bodies.