MWUN says NPA and NIMASA should take the blame for the increased cases of drugs being imported through the country’s port
By Uzor Odigbo
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has blamed the incessant importation of hard drugs into the country through the ports on two govt agencies, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), for removing onboard security men from the ports
The President-General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, stated this in a chat with some journalists in his office on Monday in Lagos.
Adeyanju, who said he commended the operatives of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for its prompt action over the discovery of cocaine and heroin onboard a vessel in Apapa recently, added that MWUN would not in any way support any illegality.
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But according to him, if the onboard security men were on the ground, they would have identified and intercepted such illicit drugs imported into the country.
He noted that the present crop of security operatives at the terminals were strange people that do not understand the terrain of the ports.
“As a result of what is going on board, If you look at all the faces now, we cannot confirm who are the onboard-gang way men.
”If we have onboard-gangway, most of these things would be identified by the security men on board the vessels, but as a result of the Nigerian Ports Authority flushing out tally clerk and onboard security men, we have been telling the whole world that onboard-gangway men are the international body recognised all over the world in line with the ILO on maritime.
“They should bring back the onboard security men who will identify visitors onboard the vessels. As it is now, we don’t know the people managing security onboard the vessels, they are illegal.
“The NIMASA, NPA and terminal operators should wake up and make sure that what belongs to the onboard-gang way men should be equally be given and bring them back.
“If there are security men on board the vessels, there would not be the transportation of hard drugs and narcotics at the ports,” he said.
Adeyanju called on officials of NDLEA to add human face in doing their jobs, saying it is unheard of to keep suspects in custody for two or three months without trials.
“We commend the efforts of the NDLEA for the promptness in their actions. For some time now, the leadership of the NDLEA has taken responsibility as the head of that agency, but while you are about doing that, you need to have a human face in doing your jobs.
“Ordinarily, there is no how you will keep somebody in custody for two to three months and that is our reaction to the case because you can’t hold who are not responsible for the offence, while you ignore the culprits. While we reacted against their detentions, we made it clear that while the union is not going to support the activities of some of our members getting themselves involved in illegalities. Whosoever that is caught is on his own.
“The NDLEA should realise that we are representing those who believe we need to protect their interest and welfare.
“While we are protecting their interest and welfare, they should equally look at where they are going to put the system, that is the union and that of the Government. We are not saying they shouldn’t do their jobs, we commend and support them, but there is a need for us to partner with them because this country belongs to all of us and we can equally support the NDLEA to flush out those bad eggs, cartel, cabals that want to turn the Nigerian Ports to their base of importing and exporting hard drugs.
“We have not experienced this kind of thing in the past, it is a surprise to us that it is becoming the order of the day where vessels coming into the ports are caught with cocaine and other narcotic substances.
“The union is not in support, but the NDLEA should investigate this matter properly and charge whoever is involved according to the law of the land, not punishing the innocent dockworkers,” he maintained