Posted by By Chimex Ndubuisi on
All the 19 members of the State Executive Council of Rivers State United Motorcycles Association (RUMCA) have passed a vote of no confidence on Chief Alfred Opara, the chairman of the association for allegedly embezzled the sum of N7.5 million.
All the 19 members of the State Executive Council of Rivers State United Motorcycles Association (RUMCA) have passed a vote of no confidence on Chief Alfred Opara, the chairman of the association for allegedly embezzled the sum of N7.5 million.
Accordingly, the chairman of the union has been asked to step aside.
The decision to oust him from office was taken at the end of theunion's exco meeting held on the 1st of September 2005.
The exco alleged that since the inception of Chief Opara in office, he has never accounted for any money and as a result, the union does not have any bank account.
Addressing other exco members at the meeting, Rev. Ebere Uju said that Chief Alfred Opara's style of administration had caused ill feelings among Okada.
Accusing him of losing direction, they alleged the chairman was more concerned with selling crash helmets rather than showing interest in the welfare of motorcycle operators.
"Chief Opara embezzled the sum of N7.5 million which we got from the selling of stickers and our daily tolls. Motorcycles riders should not regard him as the chairman and anybody who does any business with him does it at his own risk"
"He also traveled outside the state without letting the union know. He does the work of the chairman, treasurer and secretary and has no interest of the union at heart except his own union", he said.
Rev. Uju hinted that the union agreed that no member should go back to the former union in which Chief Opara held sway
He opined that due to the inability of the chairman to pilot the affairs of the union there has been no progress and certainly no future for the led.
At the end of the meeting, all the 19 state executive council members unanimously adopted Rev. Ebere Uju as the substantive state chairman of RUMCA with effective from the 1st of September 2005.
In his speech, the current chairman of the union, Rev. Ebere Uju promised to sanitize the motorcycle union and to work with other union executives, saying he would soon meet the chairman of PHALGA and OBALGA tin order to acquaint himself with their monitoring teams.
He stressed that there is need to regulate the activities of the motorcycle riders and ensure that all legitimate okada riders have identity cards for easy identification.
"I will harmonize the industry and bring peace in the union and correct the impression that people use okada to rob people of their belongings".
On the issue of crash helmet, the current chairman said that the union did not believe in buying the helmet but expected that the state governor would give them the helmet free of charge as promised during his campaign in 2003.
Also speaking, the treasurer of the union, Chief Donatus Ehirim told the Telegraph that Chief Opara had never given him any money for safe-keeping, saying he should be probed immediately for allegedly embezzling the sum of N7.5 million.
He urged the incoming chairman to carry everybody along, pointing out that as a reverend, his tenure should be smooth, as God has ordained him in office.