The leadership crisis in the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) escalated on Monday after the faction led by Tajudeen Baruwa reportedly took control of the union’s national secretariat in Abuja and announced the sack of MC Oluomo as president.
Members loyal to Baruwa stormed the union’s headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory early Monday, effectively asserting their control over the secretariat amid the prolonged leadership dispute within the transport union.
The crisis within NURTW has been ongoing since 2024, when two rival camps emerged over who should lead the powerful transport workers’ union. While members of one faction elected MC Oluomo as national president in November 2024, the opposing group backed Baruwa’s leadership.
The disagreement later moved to court, where a ruling reportedly favoured Baruwa. Despite the judgment, MC Oluomo continued to operate as the union’s president, deepening the internal division within the organization.
However, the Baruwa faction said Monday’s takeover of the national secretariat was part of efforts to enforce the court decision and restore what it described as legitimate leadership within the union.
The development signals a new phase in the power struggle that has split the NURTW, one of Nigeria’s most influential transport unions with strong political and grassroots structures across the country.
