Motorists at Apapa port on Tuesday were trapped in a terrible traffic gridlock, as Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and Maritime branch of Senior Staff Association of Communication, Transportation and Corporation shut the port indefinitely over the planned repeal of the NPA Act, 1955.
It was gathered that the industrial action started as early as 5 a.m led to a total shut down of all port formations nationwide, thereby resulting in the loss of over N2 billion.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the President General of Maritime workers, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju and his counterpart, Comrade Benson Adegbeyeni said there is impending threat to the survival of the nation’s ports and the job security of their members by the detestable bill pending at the National Assembly for the repeal of the Nigeria Ports Authority Act, cap 126 LFN 2004, that establishes the Nigeria ports.
The duo lamented that since the presentation of the bill to the House of Representatives, none of the stakeholders including the two unions in the Maritime sector which the bill stands to affect gravely were invited or notified to speak on behalf of their members.
They went further to say that the bill summarily seeks to repeal the Act of 1955 as amended which set up NPA and replaces it with the aforementioned bill which by all intent and purpose, has grave consequences on the security of the nation among others.
Comrade Adewale said the most disturbing aspect of the bill is that it would throw more than half of its members and other workers into the already saturated labour market, saying this is contrary to the promise of the present government.
“It is important to bring to your notice that the bill portends grave consequences for the security of this country as it cedes harbour, jetty and terminal operations into private hands. This is especially serious in view of the dangerous influx of illegal arms and ammunition into the country, which we all are seeing the consequences as evidenced in insurgency, kidnapping, militancy and other violent crimes, the union said.
