By Uzor Odigbo
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has declared that with effect from Monday, March 2, 2020, all dockworkers operating in the nation’s seaports will not work or board vessels, which occupants including seafarers are not properly screened against Coronavirus by officials of the Port Health Services.
The MWUN also disclosed that it would embark on nationwide campaign to checkmate Port Health Workers on how effective their quarantine prowess have been carried out on foreign seafarers on board vessels calling at the seaports.
President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, in a chat on Wednesday in Lagos, explained that the dreaded virus must be properly managed by health officials at the seaports, noting that the dockers must know the health status of the foreign crew on board vessels calling at the seaports for precautionary motives.
He noted that Nigeria and China have bilateral trade relationship and a large number of vessels calling at the seaports sail in from Asia.
According to Adeyanju, safety is paramount to the dockworkers, stressing the need for the health workers to show the level of competence and efficiency to manage the dreaded virus.
Adeyanju also called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to support the health workers in ensuring that the dockers are properly kitted .
He added that the terminal operators have major roles to play to keep the country safe from the virus.
The MWUN boss warned: “This is the time for Port Health officials to show efficiency in their job. Any vessel coming from any of the affected country needs to be quarantined here.
“Before the dockworkers will climb vessel as from next week, we must know the status of the crew on-board the vessel. That is, the captain of the vessel and the seafarers because we don’t know who the disease might have affected.
“The lives of our dockworkers and seafarers must be well protected by Port Health. So, they need to wake up and stop sitting in the office and be saying all is well.
“Port Health needs to work together with terminal operators to provide the nose cover, hand gloves, safety shoes and other necessary protective gadgets.
“This is the time for Port Health to show its efficiency because it can spread fast if it is not well managed.
“So, terminal operators need to wake up, NIMASA too needs to come out because if they don’t supply the safety equipment as from next week, our members will not come out.
“I have told all the dock workers to be on standby, I am going to lead the crusade because the lives of stakeholders are not safe.
“This is a notice to all of them that by next week, all the dock workers must be protected and all crew on all incoming vessels should be inspected before our men go onboard.” he affirmed.
Coronavirus is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has infected about 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700, the vast majority in China.
It causes respiratory symptoms similar to a cold or flu and like other respiratory infections, it spreads between people in droplets from coughs and sneezes.