The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), has tasked the Federal Government to find lasting solutions to the Apapa-Oshodi gridlock and port access roads nightmare.
President-General of the union, Mr. Adewale Adeyanju, who spoke at the maiden edition of the ‘Day of the Dockworkers’, in Lagos, also restated the union’s call on the government to resuscitate the pool system of tally clerks and onboard gangway security men.
The event was themed ‘Healthy Dockworker, Better Productivity’.
In his remarks, Adeyanju said: “It is instructive to note that the environment we operate in has posed dangers to our lives. For instance, quay aprons at the Apapa port complex are dilapidated and the Tin Can Island Ports Complex has collapsed due to long use, while Port Harcourt port is aged and decrepit.
“On the Port access road, the gridlock has affected various aspects of the Maritime industry’s activities with wide-ranging negative impacts on both vehicular, cargo and human movement within and outside the ports. We call on the government to find a lasting solution to the gridlock menace. “Also, we wish to call on the relevant authorities to expedite action in rehabilitating and finding lasting solutions to the bad state of port access roads in all port formations nationwide. Special note should be taken of the Onne Port access road which is in a state of decay.
“On the other side, we wish to remind the Federal Government of the need to resuscitate the pool system of Tally clerks and onboard gangway security men because of the importance to port operations, security and overall economic growth and safety of the country”.
In his welcome address at the event, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, said: “It is important to put in perspective the plight of dockworkers who spend the greater part of their working life at the ports, with little or nothing to show for it. As employers of labour, you must endeavour to put in place a CPS for dockworkers and ensure prompt remittances of both employers’ and employees’ contributions at the end of each month”.
