By Roland Ekama
Fresh indications have emerged that dockworkers would down tools anytime soon over failure on the part of federal government through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to fix the collapsed quay apron and lack of other operational handling equipment at Five Star Logistics Terminal.
Recall that a dockworker had died on Christmas day over negligence on the part of the stevedoring contractors, a situation the leadership of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) condemned, coupled with abandoned quay apron at the port terminal.
The collapsed facilities which has been abandoned by management of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), for four years has endangered the lives of workers at the terminal, even as their productivity has continued to decline because of the work hazards.and poor working environment.
But speaking at a press briefing on Friday in Lagos, President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju reiterated that members might be forced not to work in that terminal again due to the age long dilapidated quay apron.
Adeyanju affirmed that despite government approval of fund to rehabilitate the quay apron at the port terminal nothing has been done encourage workers productivity, and workers cannot risk their lives for the sake of working.
According to him, the union has engaged the former Managing Director, NPA Mallam Mohammed Koko Bello yet no action was taken and the union cannot risk the lives of dockworkers over negligence from the concessionaires and government.
He said” The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and the government needs to do something about the dilapidated Tin Can Island Port and Five Star Logistics Terminal. And very soon if care is not taking we might not be able to allow our members to work in that terminal again,”
“Recently we had about the collapsed structure award to contractors in dollars for it to get a facelift but up till date no actions yet. We pray for the president of Nigeria to beam his searchlights on the maritime industry”, Adeyanju stressed.
Adeyanju who is set to take a bow out of the union next week appreciated the maritime media for their immense positive publicity in the last eight years . He further assured that union will produce a team of seasoned unionists that would surpass his track records, saying that he will not choose a successor in order to perpetuate himself in office rather to ensure industrial peace and harmony in the maritime sector.
Asked if there won’t be friction between him and his anointed candidate, Adeyanju said he did not choose his successor, Comrade Francis Bunu in order to control him because according to him, the incoming PG has his ideologies.
He maintained that he chose him because he is a vibrant unionist who has the interest of workers at heart and that he is a good negotiator.
“You can’t rule out friction between the incoming and I because his idea may be different. I did not put any person there to rubber stamp him.
“But I don’t we should envisage them. We are not politicians but unionists,” the outgoing PG stressed.
