Why New NURTW Boss Seego Is Still Careful Around Ex-Chairman MC Oluomo

Months after taking over the Lagos state chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) as Chairman, insiders say Mustapha Adekunle, known as Seego, remains very careful around the former Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo.

“Seego still treads carefully around MC Oluomo and matters concerning him. That’s no secret,” insiders say.

This caution is attributed to Seego’s desire to avoid giving room for any attempts against his tenure, particularly focusing on maintaining peace in line with agreements reached with “higher authorities.”

Tafa Seego, as he is popularly known in his early days, became Chairman of the Lagos NURTW after a bitter face-off with his former ally, MC Oluomo.

It took the intervention of key figures in the Lagos state government, backed by a directive from the Presidency, as well as the national leadership of the NURTW, before MC Oluomo stepped down, allowing Seego to assume office on February 4, 2024.

MC Oluomo’s exit and Seego’s appointment came with a stern warning from both Lagos state and federal government officials: maintain peace, or you are both out.

Both Seego and MC Oluomo are part of the political establishment that controls Lagos state politics, as members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The warning came amidst fears of a potential breakdown of law and order, with different factions within the NURTW supporting either Seego or MC Oluomo.

Outside of a myriad of reasons, The chief cause of the fallout between the two former friends was MC Oluomo’s refusal to step down until he became the National President of the NURTW.

“The original agreement was that after MC Oluomo completed his first four-year term as Lagos NURTW Chairman, he would pursue the position of National President. Seego would then take over as Lagos Chairman. This arrangement was supported by all stakeholders and their government backers. However, things took a turn when, toward the end of his tenure, MC Oluomo began appointing branch chairmen and making decisions that undermined Seego’s expected role as Chairman. Seego opposed this, leading to a fallout that ended their years of friendship, with Seego emerging as the winner,” insiders explained.

However, fresh information reveals that Seego hasn’t fully consolidated his victory.

Sources say Seego has yet to exert full control in Oshodi, MC Oluomo’s base, in an effort to avoid sparking another crisis.

While Seego has made adjustments to revenue collection and remittance in other areas to reflect loyalty to his leadership, Oshodi remains largely untouched.

“No new leadership structure has been established in Oshodi. People are just openly declaring loyalty to either Seego or MC Oluomo. Behind the scenes, the revenue collection system from MC Oluomo’s time as Chairman is still in place,” sources disclosed.

After stepping down as Lagos NURTW Chairman, MC Oluomo’s ambition to become National President also hit a snag. His bid was met with legal disputes and threats of strike actions, largely due to fierce opposition from the Joe Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress, which backs ousted NURTW President Ibikunle Baruwa.

Baruwa and MC Oluomo, once allies, are now fierce rivals, despite the years of mutually beneficial collaboration that made both of them powerful figures in their respective spheres.