A major crisis is brewing within the Nigerian e-hailing driver’s union, the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), following a news report that its president, Comrade Adedamola Adeniran has a criminal record in the US. Some information available to some members indicates that he has been allegedly arrested for rape and convicted of robbery.
According to some members and officials of the union, this represents a moral dilemma and would harm the union’s credibility. A union member who spoke with Technext anonymously that Adedamola Adeniran’s criminal record would affect the union in many ways.
“Since he is the face of the union and holds a position of high authority, his tarnished image would not only undermine our values and labour movements but also reflect poorly on Nigeria as a nation. Let us not forget that this union is the first of its kind in Africa,” the member said.
Consequently, some union members have petitioned its leadership to purge itself of the leader.
In the petition signed by two members and said to have been delivered to the Ministry of Labour and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)- under whom the AUATON is affiliated- the members said that they wrote the petition to express their deep concern about the conduct and eligibility of its national president, Adedamola Adeniran.
“It has come to our attention that the president’s actions and background are in direct violation of the constitution and the integrity of our esteemed union. We urgently call for the attention of the Central Working Committee and the National Executive Council to address the issues”, the petition said.
The petition went on to quote relevant articles of the union’s constitution to demonstrate that the president’s status is capable of jeopardising the reputation of the union.
Meet Adedamola Adeniran, AUATON’s President
Adedamola Adeniran is the son of Professor Tunde Adeniran, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany under President Obasanjo. In 2009, Adedamola was reportedly arrested in Baltimore, Maryland alongside two other Nigerian men on charges of raping three women in two different episodes.
Adedamola was 20 years old at that time.
Reports at the time claim that one of the other men confessed to the police and there was a preliminary hearing. The case against Adedamola was said to have been dismissed.
Consequently, the incident was reported to have cost Adeniran’s father his Ambassadorship to the USA after he had been nominated for the diplomatic position by former President Musa Yar’Adua, although the American authorities did not state this categorically.
Similarly, a 2014 court judgment report shows that someone named Adedamola ‘Oraide’ Adeniran was convicted of attempted robbery and use of a firearm. While he appealed the judgment, the Court of Appeals of Virginia affirmed the judgment of the trial court and upheld the conviction.
According to Virginia laws, attempted robbery carries the same weight as robbery itself, There is a mandatory minimum of five years for a robbery. If there is a firearm in the commission of a felony, the accused will serve a mandatory minimum of at least eight years if convicted.
There is also the potential to face a life sentence for robbery.
Before these, Adedamola Adeniran had allegedly been charged in court with car theft, identity theft and fraud (information is readily obtainable online). These charges were thrown out by prosecutors.
Other accusations levelled against the AUATON president
According to the petition by members and seen by this reporter, the president has also contravened other provisions of their constitution. One of these is that no executive member receiving full pay from the union should be employed or receiving salaries/payments from any other source (Article 5(a) of the AUATON constitution).
The petition alleged that the president is currently engaged in a paid lecturing role at the Nigeria Police Institute. This also contravenes Article 16 (a: iv) of the constitution which says that executives must be full-time workers of the union.
Also, the petitioners claimed that Adedamola is not a driver and that there is no history of him ever being one. As such, he fails to meet the basic and essential criteria for being a member, and by extension, an executive.
Given the severity of the allegations and the potential damage to the credibility of the union, the members are demanding immediate action from the Central Working Committee and the National Executive Council.
“Failure to act swiftly may result in widespread unrest and protests from the members as we cannot allow the continued leadership of an individual with such damaging allegations associated with their name,” the petition reads. We urge the CWC and NEC to launch a thorough investigation into the allegations and take decisive measures to remove Adedamola Adeniran as national president and ensure that the leadership of our union upholds the highest standards of integrity and respectability,” the petition concluded.
This reporter reached out to Adedamola Adeniran severally for his side of the story but the union president didn’t respond to his query.
See also: Nigerian e-hailing drivers union gets govt certificate, becomes AUATON
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