Olanrewaju Adesanya
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) on Thursday said it would empower female drivers who are members of the Female Drivers Association of Nigeria (FEDAN) with vehicles.
Rising from its October NEC meeting in Lagos, Alhaji Mohammed Musa, the National President of the union, told newsmen that the step had become imperative for gender mainstreaming in the union.
According to Musa, FEDAN being an affiliate of RTEAN deserves to be strengthened for members to feed themselves, their family and contribute to national development.
He said: “We must empower women drivers and support them to feed themselves and their family. We may not have money for now to buy brand new vehicles for them but we promise grand one vehicles for them.
“Members of FEDAN should be helped. We will get them vehicles to drive to sustain themselves. Let us have their details and family contacts for documentation for the empowerment. We have to carry women along in our activities.”
The president reiterated his leadership’s commitment to operate an open door police and give a fair dealing to all sections of the union.
Musa expressed the NEC’s commitment to resolve crisis in affected state branches and assist them to achieve the goals of the association.
He said that NEC had plan to resolve crises in FCT, Ebonyi, Imo, Niger, Kaduna, Kogi and Benue branches of the association.
Musa directed the state chairmen of Nasarawa and Niger to embark on a fact-finding mission and investigate crisis in Benue branch and report to the NEC, saying that all zonal chairmen should wake up and function appropriately.
The NEC also donated a sum of N850, 000 to a national officer in Bauchi whose house was razed down by inferno while attending the NEC meeting.
The national president urged all members to have God in their hearts, be peaceful ambassadors and obey the rules and regulations of their respective states and Nigeria.
The NEC appointed Alhaji Adamu Jalaludeen as the Deputy Secretary-General of RTEAN as well as Chief Edi Nwabeze as the Administrative Secretary and Organising Secretary.
Speaking to newsmen after the NEC meeting, Amb. Eunice Odeghe, the National President, FEDAN commended Musa-led NEC for its gender mainstreaming initiative, saying the development would put food onf the tables of many female drivers.
Odeghe said: “We are supporting Alhaji Mohammed Musa because we know he is a man of his word. The take from this meeting is a life and future in RTEAN. Women have been recognised and RTEAN has really supported us.
“As women, we are not coming to compete with men but rather we are coming to support in further sanitizing the transport sector. We drive and government has started recruiting us as female drivers.
“Women who have driving as their hobbies should come out and join us to make a living for themselves.”
Mrs Comfort Ebere, the Women Leader, Enugu State Branch of RTEAN, said that the development had unveiled a better change in the leadership of RTEAN.