See why Maritime Workers are against planned Harbour Bill

MWUN & SSASCGOC executives during the briefing

By allcitynews.ng

The leadership of maritime workers, under the aegis of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies, NPA branch (SSASCGOC), have condemned in strong terms, the plan by Lawmakers to reintroduce Harbour Bill.

As the current National Assembly re-introduced the Ports and Harbour Bill for legislation, which was thrown away by the eight National Assembly, the two in-house unions in the nation’s maritime industry, have threatened to resist the Bill due to its negative impacts on nation’s security, as well as the economy.

In apparent bid to forestall the negative effects the planned Harbour Bill may bring if and when it is allowed to become a law, MWUN and  SSASCGOC alerted stakeholders to join the Unions to kick out the unpatriotic Bill.

Reiterating that they shall resist the passage of the Harbour Bill MWUN and SSASCGOC also cited the danger of institutionalising casualisation as one of their reasons for rejection of the Bill.

In a media briefing in Lagos, Nigeria, the two Unions stressed that if and when it is allowed, it will in addition, repeal the Ports Act, establishing the Nigerian Ports Authority.

The leadership of the Unions warned that the Bill, as being proposed, would among others, threaten the nation’s security, and economy while rendering many Nigerians, especially from the nation’s maritime sector jobless. The disclosed that allowing the Bill to be passed into law will give rooms for unpatriotic individuals to be channelling their smuggled arms and ammunition into the country without any check.

The President-General of the MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju and his NPA counterpart, Akinola Bodunde disclosing  that the Bill was rejected and thrown away by the 8th National Assembly, wondered why it is being sneaked-in for legislation through the back door by some dubious and unscrupulous individuals.

Still irked by the move, they reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to show his commitment to revolutionize the port based on his electioneering campaign rather than allowing the planned Bill which is aimed at handing over the national patrimony to a few individuals to take place.

“We wish to note that this said Bill, if allowed to be passed into law will have far-reaching grave consequences on the security of the nation as it will cede harbour, jetty and terminal operations into private hands whereby smugglers will then channel their imported weapons through private port.”

Besides this, the revenue which would have been received by FG will no longer take place.

“We are therefore not surprised that the bill is being vigorously sponsored by certain unpatriotic individuals within the maritime sector, who are hell-bent on appropriating our commonwealth and cornering the same into the lining of their pockets and that of their cronies”

Furthermore, they pointed out that: “we would have thought that given our persistent cry and various notices pointing to the deplorable state of our various nation’s seaports, decrepit state of port access roads, collapsing quay aprons, and the general failure of infrastructures within our ports, the lawmakers should have focused on dredging the ports for effective  movements of vessels rather than trying to change publicly owned property into the private ownership.”

Moreover both Adeyanju and Bodunde expressed their dissatisfaction at the planned Bill, saying “We are further surprised that the sponsors of this bill outrightly ignored our demand to call the International Oil Companies, IOCs, operating in our sovereign territorial economic zones, who have deliberately refused to obey our extant Maritime regulations, standards and laws but, find it expedient to sit in the comfort of their hallowed chambers to push for laws that will be detrimental and inimical to the welfare and wellbeing of the working class, Nigerians and our nation’s security and sovereignty”.

“The Joint House Unions, MWUN and SSACGOC use this medium to convey our views to the leadership, members of the National Assembly and the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy that this is certainly not the right way to go as this ploy by these selfish individuals in the maritime sector will cause chaos and anarchy in the industry, which has enjoyed sustained peace since the idea of projecting the harsh Bill was killed in 2018 will not be allowed to come to fruition”.

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