Najeem Usman Yasin mounted the saddle as the National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW) in August 2011. Barely eight months in office, Yasin says he has provided a clear direction for the union, which was hitherto disparaged by the public as a result of the behaviour of members.? In this interview with SONI DANIEL, BINTA ABDULAZEEZ IDRIS and RUTH CHOJI, the transport union manager gives an insight on how to tackle Nigeria’s road transportation challenges and make life better for commuters.
How would you describe your seat as NURTW President?
That is a good question. This seat is a hot one and we are just trying to catch up and make the necessary changes so as to bring about growth, peace and discipline in all the chapters of the union nationwide.
We have been trying to solve the problems of unions especially the lingering crises in place like Ibadan, Lagos and others. Our overall goal is to reposition the union by working hard to give it a good image.
So, what have you done differently from your predecessors?
First, we have tried to bring the leadership together. We are doing that through training, worships and so on.? We also are trying to train the workers to change their orientation so that the public would also notice the positive change in us and change their negative opinion about the union.
Have you been able to do something to stop the crisis in Ibadan and other places, which have tended to portray your members as troublemakers?
What I can say right away is that we have taken time to address our members to be disciplined at all times and I think it is beginning to work positively. As you are here at the national headquarters you can see that there is peace and orderliness.
That should tell you that we are doing something about the attitude of our members and our own future as a responsible union.
The first thing I did when I came on board was to complete and furnish national secretariat so as to provide a comfortable accommodation for us to be meeting. Anybody who comes here will know that, he is coming to meet responsible people. We intend to duplicate this gesture in all the states of the federation.
At the end of the day, it will be clear to all that the NURTW is one of the most respected unions in this country. I have taken it upon myself to work hard and change the orientation of our members so that we can also be respected by the people who come across our members.
It is difficult to distinguish between thugs and your members when you go to motor parks across the country. What are you doing to identify your members?
We have a uniform which all staff, except the executive must wear. This uniform is the White and Green material, with a Green Beret to match. Anybody who is not wearing this uniform is not? our member. They also have identity cards which have? been signed by the president.
So, it you go to a motor park and you see anything different from what I have described to you, you have to know that those people are not our members and you should not deal with them. You should even demand to see their Identity cards, which must have the signature of the national president.
How large is your membership?
We have almost three million members.
As Nigeria’s population is growing, how many buses would we need to be able to provide functional, readily available but affordable transportation for the people?
I haven’t done any study like that so I cannot project it. But it is something our union would have to look into. It is good for us to know and prepare about it because Nigerians need a reliable and affordable transportation system that has helped other nations to make progress. We cannot be left out of it. We must learn to grow.
Has the union received the buses promised by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the fuel price hike?
We were allocated 400 buses which amount to 25% of the all the buses bought by the government under the subsidy palliative scheme. The buses are 1600 in all. Right now we have received 235 of the 400 buses promised us. We are still expecting the remaining buses.
Have you been able to deploy the buses to various states?
We have deployed 100 buses in Abuja. The buses are the long types and we have decided the union should run them instead of giving them out to individuals. We did that because we wanted the masses to enjoy the full benefits of the buses. The purpose of donating the buses to us would have been defeated if we had allowed individuals to run them.
The buses are already working as we speak. It is only Lagos that we are still trying to settle. We intend to take more buses, at least 150 of the number given to us, to Lagos because of the population and size of the city.
Another thing is that, it is not all the cities that can use these long buses because of the roads. It is only cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt Kano, Kaduna and Enugu that can use the long buses.
But people are complaining that they hardly see the buses on the road?
They are complaining because the buses are not enough. If you want people to really enjoy the benefits of this scheme, we need about 500 buses in Abuja alone. That way, you will see the buses anywhere you turn.
Beyond that, we have phone numbers on each of the buses for commuters to reach us and complain of any anomaly they notice in the course of using them.? One of my lines is on the buses and people have been calling to report what happens along the routes.
This fact is helping us keep the drivers in check because they know that, I might be informed of their behaviors and this could cause them their jobs.? It is a way of checking abuses and ensuring effective service delivery for the masses who use the buses.
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Are you satisfied with the state of roads your vehicles ply?
We are not satisfied with the state of Nigerian roads. If you are traveling from Abuja to Port Harcourt via Enugu, some parts of the road are very bad and could delay you for a very long time.
The same unfortunate situation plays itself out on the strategic Ore-Benin-Shagamu road, which is like a death trap. It is a terrible road that causes trouble for our members and we pray the government would take urgent steps to repair these roads once and for all.
It is alleged that road transport operators do not want other forms of transportation to grow so that they can dominate the system. What is your take on this?
It is not true. We are also concerned about inadequate modes of transport in the country.? The masses are the ones suffering. We have been praying that the rail system will be revitalized because it will assist in reducing accidents and the heavy dependence on road users.
What would you suggest as panacea for efficient road transportation in Nigeria?
Good roads are needed as a matter of priority. Secondly, the federal and state government must bring in more vehicles on a sustained basis to provide enough for the increasing population in the country.
Similarly, all tiers of government should invest massively in the transportation system because there is no alternative to a good, efficient and reliable transportation system to any economy.
It is clear that for the Nigerian economy to grow and meet the growing needs of the people, a functional transportation system is needed more than anything else.
Who is Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, where do you come from and why the interest in transport?
That is a multi-layered question. But let me start by saying that before you become a member of the NURTW, you must be a driver. I started as a conductor in Sokoto. I started learning how to drive in 1976 and I got my driver’s license in 1978. I registered in the union and since then, I have been in the union.?
I rose through the ranks and become the branch chairman of Zamfara State in 1999. During the delegates’ conference that year, I contested for the seat of the president with my predecessor. Both of us had a tie of 77 votes each. It was a tie and nobody could say he won and the other lost. He was the then Adamawa State chairman and the national treasurer of the union, while I was just the state chairman of Zamfara, a newly-created State.
It was shocking because I came from nowhere to contest and we both had a tie. He started claiming the position and took over the seat in Abuja while I also declared that I was president and took over the Lagos head office. This led to a series of crises before Adams Oshoimole, then the president of NLC brokered peace between us.
He advised us to raise an 18-man team, to manage the affairs of the union, while one of us should be president and the other deputy president. I accepted his timely advice for peace to reign and opted to serve as deputy president while my opponent became the national president for four years. Surprisingly, after the first tenure, the president insisted on going for another four years .
Again, I allowed him and still continued to maintain my position as his deputy. He successfully served for eight years and in 2007, he insisted that he was going for a third term. I thought of the peace and greater good of the union and allowed him to go again. People thought I was a fool for doing that, because it is unheard of. But I believe in God.
Everybody knows that power is sweet but it is only God that gives power. He wanted to use power of incumbency to remain in power, but I asked them if they own their lives in their hands and if they are sure that they will live to see the next year, nobody could answer me.
So I left everything in the hands of God. Two years into his tenure, they were travelling in a jeep on their way to Lagos and they had an accident, four people died including the president, the driver and the orderly. If I had not been patient, I wouldn’t be here today.
I held the position in acting capacity for two years until the recent congress in August, 2011 where I was elected to be president. I am saying this because I want people to know that, it is God that gives power and those who trust in Him will be victorious at the end.