MWUN Raises High Hopes For Aged Seafarers’ Over Pension Payment

By Roland Ekama

Sequel to the Federal Government and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) conclusion of the verification exercise for disengaged seafarers aboard the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), 28 years ago over unpaid benefits, the President General of MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju has renewed the hopes of the senior citizens saying payment would be made soon.

Prince Adeyanju dropped this hint at the Association of Maritime Journalist of Nigeria (AMJON) training workshop held in collaboration with the School of Eloquence , Ikoyi Lagos, last Friday.

Represented by the Deputy President General of MWUN, Comrade Harry Tonye; Prince Adeyanju stated that the union will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the disengaged seafarers get their due pension. He did not however, give the exact date when the aged seafarers will receive their pensions.

Comrade Adeyanju took the journalists on the rudiments of the operations union and its duties to the workers, saying the Nigerian port industry continues to stable peace because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement strategy put in place to ensure that workers are paid living wage.

He disclosed that the agreement is reviewed every two years. “The good thing about it is that if there is anything that was not captured in the agreement, one can patiently wait for the next two years for it to be addressed,” he said.

Adeyanju reiterated that “The union is a responsible union because the most difficult thing to handle is human being.

“The aged seafarers’ who were sailors under the liquidated NNSL worked for decades onboard those ships.

“By and large we are hoping that the payment is coming up anything soon”, Adeyanju stressed.

Enlightening the journalists at the workshop, Adeyanju noted that the union runs both administrative and political officer holders based on the constitution.

He explained that MWUN has four departments comprising – NPA , Dockworkers, Seamen and Water Transport and Shipping Branches and leaders of the respective Units report to the national secretariat.

According to him, training and capacity building for journalists is of an advantage to the community and society at large adding that MWUN will continue to partner AMJON for effective representation of the union activities.

He called on the media practitioners to embark on fairness and balance reportage saying, it’s the hallmark of standard method of journalism.

Resource personnel from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and School of Eloquence engaged journalists on the right terminology on their reportage and publications in line with ethics of the profession.

Among the team of MWUN at the training were, Head of Media MWUN, Comrade Kennedy Ikemefuna, who assured members of the union of robust working relationship between the union and AMJON

On his part, Comrade Oniha Erazua Odigie; Deputy Secretary General MWUN reassured members of AMJON that the union would look inward towards providing a platform for more training programme.

The National Public Relations Officer (NPRO), Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada was represented by the Customs Public Relations Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Superintendent of Customs Abdullahi Lagos also delivered a paper on customs modernisation.