The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Senior Staff Association of Communication, Corporation and Transport (SSACCTAC) has called on the Federal Government to suspend the construction of deepsea ports in different parts of the country, describing them as wasteful ventures and jumbo projects.
President of the association; Comrade Umar Omeiza Jimoh in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily urged that government should rather focus on connecting the existing ports to the rail system.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Senior Staff Association of Communication, Corporation and Transport (SSACCTAC) has called on the Federal Government to suspend the construction of deepsea ports in different parts of the country, describing them as wasteful ventures and jumbo projects.
President of the association; Comrade Umar Omeiza Jimoh in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily urged that government should rather focus on connecting the existing ports to the rail system.
Comrade Umar said that apart from the Lekki Deepsea Port, other deepsea port projects like the Olokola deepsea port in Ogun State, the Ibaka Deepsea port in Akwa Ibom and the Badagry Deepsea Port should be cancelled.
Umar also told our correspondent that the management of NPA has agreed with the union and its sister union; Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on modalities to redress all the issuesraised by them last year.
Speaking further, Umar noted that cargo throughput Nigerian ports has been on the increase, even as he added that,"but we don't need any other ports, apart from the deepsea port in Lekki, rather, we need to connect the ports to rail system so that cargoes can be evacuated on time"
"Building other ports will in the next five years come back to where we are presently, it is only when they evacuate by rail that there will be enough space to maneuver movement of cargo" he argued.
"The Ibaka, Badagry, Olokola deepsea ports are not necessary, they are jumbo projects that you sink money and you get little or nothing, maintenance will be high, Nigerians will still be suffering in abject poverty", he maintained.
He said that the union has given NPA management up till February 2014 to conclude all its demands, and that if the union is not satisfied, it will shut down the ports.
"Automatically you do not expect us to go into extra miles until at the end of February 2014, that is if nothing is done, even if it is only one that is remaining, then expect actions to be taken", he threatened.
He noted that several promises have been given in the past, but lamented that nothing was done about it, and according to him, “this is why the union this time around signed a communiqué between the two house unions and the management of NPA.
He said that most of the demands have to do with working environment and other issues that affect the welfare of workers.
The two unions had on 10th December, 2013 issued a 14-day ultimatum to the NPA which had elapsed on the 23rd of December 2013.
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