The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has lamented the lack of dredging of Calabar port channel decades after it was awarded to be dredged; this is even as the union has expressed grief over the unemployment situation of her members at the port.
Speaking over the weekend during the National Executive Council meeting, of the union, the President General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju condemned the lackadaisical attitude of the contractors to dredging the port, while calling on the Federal Government to force contractors to site and conclude the dredging of Calabar ports urgently.
Adeyanju noted that the failure to dredge the port is not only unfair to its members in Calabar port who have been consistently denied employment opportunities, but also opposites to government avowed policy of creating work for its citizenry.
The President General informed that Lagos port alone account for over 90% of import and export cargoes in the country, while noting that the Lagos port is under intense pressure with the port facility and personnel overstressed.
He advised that, to ease the pressure, government needs to initiate and compel the immediate expansion of other ports in Nigeria not only in terms of land space, but also in terms of provision and maximal capacity.
He said by doing this, it will ease the tension on Lagos ports and ease congestion and traffic gridlock synonymous with the Lagos ports.
According to him, “we feel confused on reports reaching us which points to the fact that decades after the awards of contract to dredge the Calabar ports, literally nothing has been done till date, this is not only unfair, to our members in Calabar port who have been consistently denied of employment opportunities, but also its opposites to government avowed policy of creating work for its citizenry, we are therefore strongly calling on the federal government to force contractors to site and conclude the dredging of Calabar ports urgently
“Statistics show that Lagos ports that is Apapa and Tin Can Island receive over 90% of imports and export cargo in Nigeria and is therefore under intense pressure with port facility and personal overstressed to ease this situation, we call on the federal government to initiate and compel the immediate expansion of other ports in Nigeria not only in terms of land space but also in terms of provision and maximal capacity. We believe doing this will ease tension on the Lagos ports and ease congestion and traffic gridlock” he noted.
He further emphasized that the core mandate of the union is commitment to further the welfare of her members.
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