By Uzor Odigbo,
Lagos
President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Emmanuel Nted, has decried the poor state of ports access roads in the country.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the repairs.
At a press conference in Lagos, Nted blamed the Federal Government for what he described as abandonment of a critical national economic infrastructure.
He said that the poor state of the roads led to untimely death of many people, while causing delays for movements of persons and cargoes to and from the ports.
“The Federal Government and Nigerian Ports Authority told us that Julius Berger will begin work on the roads but as we speak there is nothing to show on the ground.
“The abandonment of access roads to the ports had been in the state of disrepair for several years despite the union’s relentless efforts at drawing the attention of government to address the situation.
“As we speak, the roads have become death trap to every road user despite strong assurances from Federal Government and Nigerian Ports Authority that the contract had been awarded. There is nothing on ground to show that contract had been awarded.”
While commending the government for banning car importation through the land borders, Nted appealed for a month of grace to enable importers whose vehicles were trapped to clear them out before full enforcement is applied.
He advised the government to meet with all local vehicles assembly plant and indigenous car manufacturers to address the challenges facing car production in the country.
Nted announced that a new President General and other leaders of the union would be elected at the union’s 4th Quadrennial Delegates Conference on March 17, 2017 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Nted also disclosed that he did not know how many members the union has as Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) was supposed to have a full list of all dockworkers in Nigeria.
He accused NIMASA of not keeping an up to date register but that the Central Working Committee has approved that all constitutionally eligible members are free to vote and be voted for at the election.
“By this resolution, all branches of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria have officially been notified of availability of nomination forms for various national offices and election guidelines. All committees of the election have been approved by the Central Working Committee in session. In accordance with the union’s constitution,a free fair and credible election will be conducted.
“There is no statistics of dockworkers so the union does not know how many members it has. NIMASA is supposed to register all dockworkers but this has not been done. Dockworkers are volatile, they are like soldiers and they need a president that can control them,” he said.
