RATTAWU Leadership Crisis Heightens as Faction Canvasses for Caretaker Committee

By Francis Sardauna

A faction of the Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU) has admonished the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, to constitute a caretaker committee to resolve the leadership crisis rocking the union.

The factional group also urged Kabir Garba Tsanni to stop parading himself as the national president of the union and hand over all its relevant documents to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The spokesman of the group and Director-General, Mohammed Jimoh presidential (RATTAWU) campaign organisation, Muhammad Ali Gwani, told journalists in Katsina that the constitution of the union would pave the way for a legitimate election that will usher in new officials of the union.

While describing the July 16, 2021 quadrennial national delegates’ conference of the union held in Zamfara State by the Tsanni-led factional group as kangaroo, Gwani said the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has declared the conference null and void.

According to him, the national delegates’ conference was nullified in a letter signed by the Ministry’s Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Mrs. O.U. Akpan, as a result of the failure of the national officers of the union to follow constitutional process on the election of officials and total flagrant disregard to the ministry’s directive.

He said: “But to our greatest surprise two days back, we saw another letter signed by one Mrs Dike who claimed to be a special adviser to the minister on technical, saying that the people that conducted the nullified election should remain and continue steering the affairs of RATTAWU in Nigeria.

“For us, the letter has not emanated from the office of the minister. And that is not his true position or directive on the matter. We want the minister to constitute a caretaker committee or appoint a sole administrator for the union to settle the differences and conduct elections.

“We also want the minister to come out and tell Nigerians whether he is aware of the letter or not because as far as we are concerned, this letter is fake.”

However, efforts made by THISDAY to reach the embattled National President of the union, Kabir Garba Tsanni, for comments on the development were futile as of press time.