Even as the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has requested that a share of the Cabotage Vessels Financing Fund (CVFF) should be given to some of its members in the Lagos Commercial Private Boat Operators District to enable them address some of their operational challenges, the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, has said that MWUN is not qualified to have a share of the fund.
The association argued that the MWUN and its members are not contributors to the fund.
The National President of association, Captain TajudeenAlao, who said this last week in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, was reacting to a request made by the President General of MWUN, Comrade AdewaleAdeyanju, on the occasion of the customers service week, hosted by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Lagos.
Shipping Position Daily recalled that Adeyanju who was represented by a member of the union, Comrade Abdul Erodje, requested that getting a fraction of the CVFF fund will enable the union to meet some of its operational challenges including high cost of boats and outdoor motor engines, standard life jackets, boat anchors and others.
But reacting to this, Capt Alao, called on the government to look at the structures and the parameters of the companies that have contribute to the fund before they start distributing the funds, adding that anybody can demand for a share but the question should be, are you qualified for that.
He also advised that the money should be given to serious players in the industry who are also contributors.
“On what basis are they (MWUN) demanding a share of the fund, they are tourist and not shipping people, they are just tourist operators their job is tourism and they fall there. The CVFF has criteria in the Act, those who contribute and those who benefit and it is supposed to be by the National Assembly, NIMASA is only a custodian. I don’t know how the money can be shared, but I know some people have contributed the money; it should be for serious players who are the contributors. They should look at the company they have and how activities at the company is run. They should check if the company has paid all their outstanding bills, look at their structure and parameters they use in running the company”
He queried if the union is controlled and subjected to NIMASA before they can ask for a share of the fund, even as he maintained that the people who fall under CVFF should be the ones to receive the fund.
Discussion about this post