Maritime workers union to shut seaports nationwide

•Oil, gas production to be impacted

By Steve Agbota

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has threatened to shut the nation’s seaports from next Tuesday over alleged continued refusal of International Oil Companies (IOCs) and stevedoring contractors to comply with extant laws.

A statement by MWUN’s Head of Media, John Ikemefuna, which quoted the President-General, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, added that all jetties and oil and gas platforms would be shut.

Adeyanju recalled that the Union had “written series of letters,  published several press releases, issued ultimatums including marine notices to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in addition to several ministerial orders to no avail.

“All these were serially ignored by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).The recent one dated June 13, 2023, with reference number MWUN/MD/NPA/SC/U/1.23, had spanned over three years. The Union is, however, using this medium to demand the total compliance of IOCs to the stevedoring regulations in line with the communiqués signed by all the relevant stakeholders in the sector.

The NPA as a master stevedore and industry regulator is wholly saddled with the responsibility of granting operational licences to stevedoring companies to provide stevedoring services for designated IOCs in Nigeria. The NPA also must use its oversight and regulatory authority to ensure respect for law and regulations in the dealings of the IOCs that make use of the services of the stevedoring companies; and by extension, members of MWUN as workers in IOCs’ employ,” the Union said. 

The Union further lamented that it is saddening that the NPA has abdicated its sole responsibility by allowing the IOCs to run an unimaginable riot without control in the sector.

“As a responsible social partner and a union which operates strictly in line with extant regulations, MWUN has since 2018 severally brought to the NPA’s attention, the refusal of the IOCs to honour the provisions of the extant stevedoring regulations and the continued violation of the remittance of union’s cheque-off dues in line with the extant stevedoring regulations.

“As a breach of the extant stevedoring laws,  MWUN will on Tuesday 9, 2024 shut down the seaports nationwide after the expiration of the three work days already given to NPA commencing from January 4, 2024,” the union said.