Even thoughit is authorized to license and monitor private jetties in Nigeria, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that it is the duty of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to keep a keen eye on the activities of private jetty operators through the stevedoring companies.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Warri, Delta State last week, Deputy Secretary General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Comrade Abdullahi Eroje said that most of the petroleum tank farms and private jetty operators do not engage the services of the dockworkers.
He alleged that many of the tank farm owners who are petroleum marketers shortchange the federal government by under-declaration of products discharged at their jetties.
Eroje said that sometimes, "a vessel would discharge 30,000metric tonnes of product at the tank farm and they will claim it was 20,000metric tonnes, in order not to pay what belongs to the government, but if the dockworker is there, we would be able to represent government interest".
While presenting a paper on challenges confronting the union, Eroje identified reluctance of jetty owners to "re-engaging the Tally Clerks and on Board Security men to perform their statutory jobs in line with Section 27 of the NIMASA Act 2007".
He also called for improved security at private jetties in the country, which he said have become an avenue through which weapons are smuggled illegally into the country.
Justifying the need to reengage the sacked Tally Clerks and on Board Security men, MWUN scribe said ‘’this is in view of the very critical role they play in enabling correct declaration of cargo tonnage and in effect, prevent under declaration of cargo in the nation seaport".
On his part however, Director, Administration and Personnel Service of NIMASA; Ibrahim Jibril acknowledged the concerns raised by the dockworkers, confirming that the agency is aware of the challenges and the jetty operators have equally confirmed it.
He however said that the excuse of the jetty operators for not engaging tally clerks was because NPA has terminated its relationship with stevedoring companies.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that Minister of Transportation; Mr Rotimi Amaechi, in 2016 formally approved NPA's plan to terminate relationship with stevedoring contractors handling a set of dockworkers known as tally clerks and onboard security.
The NPA similarly announced that it would not renew the 10-year contracts it signed with the stevedoring companies when it expired on December 15, 2015.
The stevedoring contractors were said to be employing an unverified 5,000 dockworkers.
Speaking at the stakeholders forum last week, Jubril said "We (NIMASA) have had series of meetings with the jetty operators, and they have totally agreed that they do not engage registered dockworkers at their jetties and terminals but they would want to, the unfortunate thing is that you can only engage dockworkers through stevedoring companies which has been approved by NPA, the appointment of the stevedoring companies is by NPA and not NIMASA".
"We have initiated action and we have presented the position of the jetty operators to NPA, hoping that NPA or Federal Ministry of Transportation would appoint stevedore for the jetties", he said.
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