Fuji music icon Wasiu “Kwam 1” Ayinde has brokered a truce between rival transport union leaders Musiliu “MC Oluomo” Akinsanya and Mustapha “Tafa Sego” Adekunle after years of tension between their camps.
The reconciliation took place on Tuesday at Ojusagbola in Ijebu, Ogun State, in the presence of several transport union chieftains.
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At the meeting, MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego spoke about their grievances before shaking hands and embracing. They also promised that the reconciliation would bring their long-running disagreement to an end.
Kwam 1’s media aide, Kunle Rasheed, confirmed the development in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES. He said the public meeting was the culmination of separate private discussions Kwam 1 had held with both men.
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Photographs from the reconciliation were subsequently published on the musician’s Instagram page.
Peace process
In an account relayed by his media aide, Kwam 1 said the settlement did not result from a single meeting, contrary to the impression the widely publicised gathering might have created.
“Both of them were spoken to separately, which was not made public. I believe in resolving issues quietly, so I didn’t want to make a public affair out of it. Now that both of them have been spoken to separately, today was chosen by me to bury the hatchet finally,” the musician said.
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Kwam 1 said his relationship with both men and his position as the head of Team Lagos made it possible for him to intervene. However, resolving a disagreement that had lasted for years required more than simply asking them to forget their differences.
“Being the head of Team Lagos, which has both of them as members, it wasn’t difficult at all. But naturally, it wasn’t something you could achieve by saying, ‘Forget everything and make peace.’
“When they’ve had disagreements for a long time, there are emotions and history involved. But I reminded them that there was really nothing to gain from allowing the disagreement to continue,” he said.
Mr Rasheed said MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego both respected Kwam 1 and were receptive to his intervention. According to him, the musician believed the bond between the two transport union leaders was stronger than the issues that divided them.
Kwam 1 said he became more concerned when the disagreement began creating tension beyond the two men.
“I became more concerned when I realised that something that could have been resolved between two individuals had gone on for too long and was beginning to create unnecessary tension around them.
“At that point, I felt that people like us, who have relationships with both sides, should not simply stand by and watch it continue,” he said.
Mr Rasheed said senior members of Team Lagos, which he said had evolved into Team Nigeria, attended the meeting.
“There were many other people around. Virtually all the top-ranking members of Team Lagos, who have now metamorphosed into Team Nigeria, were there.
“When they arrived, there was no tension at all. They greeted each other well, and nothing extraordinary happened. They appeared cool with each other,” he said.
He added that the relaxed atmosphere allowed both men to speak openly, listen to each other and address their grievances.
“The atmosphere was warm, which allowed good conversation. And then came the moment everybody had been hoping for: they shook hands, embraced and made peace, with a promise that this was final. I believe they ultimately chose to let go,” Mr Rasheed said.
Years of rivalry
MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego were once allies within the Lagos chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, but their relationship deteriorated amid struggles over leadership, factional loyalties and influence within the state’s transport sector.
One of the most violent episodes of their rivalry occurred in January 2019, during an All Progressives Congress campaign rally at the Sky Power Ground in Ikeja, Lagos.
A confrontation involving rival groups disrupted the rally, while MC Oluomo sustained stab wounds and was taken to the hospital.
The Lagos State Police Command subsequently declared Tafa Sego wanted in connection with the violence at the rally. He later denied involvement in the attack and said he had no connection with MC Oluomo’s stabbing.
The rivalry did not prevent both men from serving in the same Lagos NURTW executive years later. In November 2023, MC Oluomo was returned as Lagos chairman, while Tafa Sego was elected treasurer alongside other executive members.
MC Oluomo later left the Lagos leadership in 2024 to pursue the NURTW national presidency. Tafa Sego was elected chairman of the Lagos chapter in November 2024.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: PREMIUM TIMES journalist shortlisted for Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award
MC Oluomo’s claim to the national presidency remains disputed. Although a faction of the union elected him to the position, court judgements affirmed Tajudeen Baruwa as NURTW president. MC Oluomo has, however, continued to insist that he remains the union’s national leader.
Fresh tension
There were no major public confrontations between the camps for some time, but tensions resurfaced during Kwam 1’s New Year All White Party in Lagos on 2 January.
Footage from the event showed a group believed to be associated with Tafa Sego reacting after Kwam 1 openly referred to MC Oluomo as the NURTW leader.
The reaction caused a disturbance at the venue and prompted the musician to appeal for unity among the rival transport union leaders.
Tuesday’s reconciliation followed the appeals and separate discussions held with both men. However, neither MC Oluomo nor Tafa Sego had, at the time of this report, publicly stated whether the personal truce would also resolve the wider factional and leadership differences involving their supporters.
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