Welders’ Executive C’ttee Not Dissolved, Says National President

By Sunday Okobi and Femi Durojaiye

The National President of Nigeria Welders Association (NWA), Mr. Pius Itama, has refuted claims by a faction of the association that the national executive committee of the association has been dissolved.

Itama said this during a phone interview with THISDAY yesterday that “the kangaroo” meeting and election held by the factional leader of the association, Joseph Idjai, and his rebellious group, on June 11 in their office in Lagos was null and void because the association’s constitution was not duly followed before dissolving the executive committee.

According to Itama, the zonal council chairmen did not have the constitutional authority to dissolve the national executive council committee.

He claimed that out of 11 zones, the association had only four attendees at the meeting, listing the zones that attended the meeting as Edo, Ogun, Kaduna and Delta States, while the remaining seven zones were not informed before the meeting was called in Lagos.

“Moreover, zonal chairmen only have authority or power within their zones, it is only the national executive council committees that have the constitutional power to dissolve the executive committee not zonal chairmen.

“As the president of the association, I have not called any national executive council meeting dissolving the executive committee or appointing a caretaker committee, so whatever Idjai and others are doing is illegal and unconstitutional,” he stated.

It should however be noted that Idjai-led faction dissolved the present executive committee alleging the president for flouting the constitution of the association.

He also alleged that the national president, Pius Itama, since his assumption in office is “holding put on the seal of the association contrary to rule 25(vi) of our constitution.

“No proper accountability had been done in the last three years of their administration, which hitherto prompted the association to make a decision to pass a vote-of-no confidence on their tenure,” Idjai said

Itama, while debunking the allegations, said the spurious allegations were orchestrated by his detractors to distract him from carrying out his duties as the national president of the association.

“Like I have said earlier, Idjai and his followers did not have the constitutional power to dissolve any executive committee, their powers is limited only to their zones that was the reason why they did not inform other zones when they held their kangaroo meeting.

“I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians and all our business partners that the present care taker committee constituted by Joseph Idjai and his cohorts is null and void and it not recognised by the national executive council committee of the Nigerian Welders Association,” he said.