By Roland Ekama
Dockworkers under the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has expressed readiness for the commencement of operational activities at the much talked about Lekki deep seaport in Lagos.
The management of the Lekki deep seaport said the project is now at the 95 percent completion stage and would commence port activities in the last quarter of the year 2022.
The Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (LPLEL) was awarded a 45-year concession of the deep seaport by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.
The federal and Lagos governments are expected to generate $201 billion from the seaport when completed.
Speaking on the development, President , Dockworkers Branch , MWUN , Comrade Ibrahim Tajudeen Ohize in a chat recently, reaffirmed that at least 500 dockers might be engaged to complement the terminal operator’s activities noting that the maritime workers are ready for the day to day labour engagement of the new port.
He noted that the port has come to stay and Nigerians are to benefit from the investment through direct and indirect job opportunities.
According to him, the recent visit by the union top executives had confirmed the huge potentials for workers and Nigerians .
Recall that management of the union led by the President General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju had visited the deep seaport in June 2022 as part of familiarization visit to management.
The union boss called on management of the Lekki Free Port Terminals, to ensure that there is equity and fairness in the recruitment process workers across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The MWUN boss also urged on the Human Resources department of the new port to consult with the national executives of the union in the recommendation and advisories as part of efforts to engage those with the requisite knowledge of port operations mostly as it concerns dockworkers and terminal operations.
Adeyanju maintained that the union will support the port terminal operator to maintain industrial harmony between workers and management adding that with the commencement of operations at the new port, there will be massive job placement.
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