The Sierra Leone Motor Drivers and General Transport Workers Union are in a serious leadership crisis since President Ernest Bai Koroma suspended the entire leadership of the Union for alleged corruption and bad governance.
The Union is said to be going without a leader for months now but some unscrupulous members of the suspended executive are engaged in some clandestine activities ranging from collecting monies from drivers at check- points and rampant harassment of drivers for petty crimes committed by drivers and car owners, while monies collected are giving to certain individuals with the sole aim of enriching them selves before the new executive takes office at the end of the drivers union elections, to be held soon.
According to one of the suspended executive member Alpha Bah who disclosed to Awoko that they want the President to immediately investigate the suspended executives and called for an election to fast track the process so as to stop the clandestine activities of the suspended executives who are bent on depriving the state of needed revenues.
Mr. Bah noted with regret, that some drivers are supporting the corrupt practice by the suspended executives and suggested that an interim executive will be very useful in the time being to control some of the operations of the drivers union until elections are conducted by a competent body who will conduct the election with transparency and fairness to the satisfaction of many drivers who would like to see competent individuals running the Union, adding that over Le 30 million is needed for the smooth running of the drivers union election.
He also called on the Minister of Transport and Aviation, to remain neutral on the electoral process and called on aspirants wanting to occupy executive positions to work out all modalities for the inclusion of all private and commercial drivers with valid driving license and membership card to participate in the voting process.
Concluding Mr. Bah warned all drivers not to cooperate with any of the suspended executives who confront them on drivers’ union activities, until proper investigations have been conducted and new executive elected.
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