.……Strengthens Collaboration With NARTO
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Friday threatened to shutdown port operations over the dilapidated quay aprons at some of the nation’s seaports.
Quay apron is the area in front of a wharf shed on which cargo is lifted to the terminal.
Speaking in Lagos during a joint press conference put together by the union and Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), President General, MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju reiterated that the lives of labour workers at the affected terminals was at risk, saying that “injury to one is tantamount to injury to all.”
Adeyanju lamented that the union cannot fold its hands for a long period and allow the situation consume some dockworkers before protesting the ugly trends noting that as a responsible and proactive group,there was the need to down tools for government to do the needful.
DAILY FOCUS NIGERIA gathered that two port terminal at Tin Can Island Port Complex , Lagos and another at Port Harcourt Rivers port quay wells are in dilapidated condition for over five years without any hope of repair works from the federal government of Nigeria.
Recall that Minister of Transportation, Mu’Azu Sambo, who also inspected the dilapidated portion of the Tin Can Island Port quay apron recently, asked Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, and the engineers to forward the ‘as-built’ plan of the jetty, alongside other documents to his office for immediate action.
Adeyanju while reacting to questions from the media, maintained that the union will also engage management of the NPA in furtherance to address the menacing failed infrastructure of the terminals.
On the recently inked Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NARTO, the President General noted that the collaboration has been in existence for a long while with the aims to cater for drivers welfare and support projects of the NPA in port terminals operations.
He also warned members of the dockworkers branch to cooperate and embrace the agreement with the trucking association noting that any attempt by the dockers to flout the MoU reached so far would result to sanctions from the national executive of MWUN.
He assured the leadership of NARTO led by its national president, Alhaji Yusuf Othman of the Union’s commitment to ensure progress and success is achieved in the agreement pointing out that
According to him, the MoU is binding for members of the dockworkers branch stressing that the Lagos ports was a test run with plans ahead to extend the agreement to other seaports including, Warri, Calabar and Port Harcourt ports.
Earlier, President of NARTO, Alhaji Othman lauded the MoU reached with MWUN adding that success will be achieved in the merger .
Othman said in line with port operations, the merger will bring about free flow of vehicular movement in and out of the ports calling on the parties involved to embrace sincerity and transparency for the benefit of the industry and Nigeria.
He said:” We wish to draw the attention of the general public to the decision for MWUN and NARTO to synergize and collaborate on a basis of common desire to ensure seamless environment to do business in the maritime sub sector of the nation’s economy.
“The collaboration was birthed as a vehicle to take decisions on behalf of its combined membership to stem the negative gridlock which invariably affects our way and means of doing business in the quay aprons , terminals and jetties as well as ingratiate in the psyche of our members the necessity to observe all the road regulations on our port access roads for ease of movement and the amelioration of unnecessary hold up”,Othman added.
By Roland Ekama
