MONDAY INTERVIEW: “NPA should take responsibility of monitoring those access roads”—Comrade Adewale Adeyanju

Comrade Adewale Adeyanju is the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC). He speaks on his recent elections as Chairman, ITF Africa and also Vice President, ITF Global. He also touches on some sundry issues about the nation’s maritime industry

 What is the update on the issue of the agreement with the IOCs?

The Nigeria Port Authority are in a better position to tell the whole world where we are on this issue of IOC. You remember we signed an agreement with them, and that agreement has already elapsed. We expected them to publish all the names of those who have complied with the Stevedoring contractors, or allowed them to be in their terminals. So, I think what the President of contractors said, the man is correct. It’s just for the union now to wake up again and start disturbing them about this. Because we told them and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority assured us that at least 60 or 70 percent of them have complied. Okay, give us the names of those that have complied, and allow the stevedoring contractors to work in their formations. So, the way it is now, it’s like a coded compliance. That’s the way I’m going to say it for now, it’s coded. So, there’s no way we’re going to continue using that language that, yes, they have complied. To us, as an organized labour union, we feel we are been cheated on these issues, because they have not carried us along and we don’t even know who and who have allowed the workers through the stevedoring contractors to be engaged in the terminals.

Your recent emergence as Chairman, ITF Africa and also Vice President, ITF Global are significant roles you are occupying. Tell us, what’s this portends for the Nigerian Maritime Workers? What are you bringing in? How can you use this position to better their lots back home here?

Well, you know ITF and you know what they stand for. They stand for welfarism. They stand for true position of the union and that of their affiliates that we belong to. The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria have been an affiliate of ITF for almost 30 years. It was Chief Ogunleye and Late Abba the then President of Dockers at that time, that brought in ITF to this country. So, we’ve been a member of ITF. So, my elected position is not new to me, because I’ve been a member of a Fair Practice Committee for more than 15 years or thereabout and I know how it works. So, it is to expand the scope of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria and the stakeholders in particular. Because it has to do with port-related operations that involve Nigerian Port Authority, the shipping, the seafarers and that of the dock workers. So, we have dock workers in ITF, we also have seafarers, we equally have shipping and that of the ports. So, it’s going to make sure that we are being treated right and it is going to be a plus for us as Africans.

Is there any update on the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the dockworkers? We remember you said the last time that they are working on it.

Well, on the issue of CBA for dock workers, I think by next week, we are sending our new proposal to stakeholder on the minimum standards and others. You know it is every two years and it has elapsed since last year. We would try to see how we can redirect and represent the CBA for dock workers where the old book will be reviewed. If I’m retiring, you are giving me a death sentence gratuity. We are looking at how we can accommodate what we have in scheme, a revolving scheme that is going to benefit the dock workers where you pay your own demand apart from your pensions, apart from your gratuity. This is because we have that standard in other parts. So, we want to make sure that you put it in a uniform position where that scheme can be revolved between the workers and the employers. So, I think that is what delayed it. But now, we’ve already put a finishing touch on that and by Monday next week, we’re going to send it to stakeholders so that we can commence the discussion on the CBA.

The access route to the ports has been improved, but we didn’t hear the union saying anything about it, despite the several ultimatums given when the road was clogged. Now, that the road is accessible. What’s your take?

I think that is the prayers of every stakeholder. Now from my house to work is just 10 to15 minutes’ drive unlike before, which used to be about two to three hours. So, we need to thank the management of Nigerian Ports Authority and thanks to the Lagos State Governor for what he did. This is because he took the matter by himself, and that is why all of us can smile home. There won’t be any stress or whatever. So, you don’t expect the union to start making noise about it again. What we have been asking them to do for almost four years or five years. They did it under 30 minutes or one hour. So, tell me, where are those trucks now? That is the question we need to ask ourselves. Where are those trucks? Because if you don’t have any business on the road, why must you bring in your trucks to cause obstruction for other stakeholders? So, we thank Nigeria Ports Authority and our appreciation goes to the Lagos State Governor, who took it upon himself to ensure that there is sanity on this road where mechanics, vulcanizers and whatever have taken over the road. But now, it’s no longer like that. They are no longer there. What they equally did was to remove all those shanties from the road where they erected two- and three-bedroom flats like I used to say. They are no longer there. Hardly will you see any woman lurking around that place. But I want them to sustain it. We want the government to sustain it.

Talking about the sustainability, is there anything the workers can do to ensure that this mess does not come back again?

The ball lies in the court of the Nigeria Ports Authority. You cannot say because that road is a federal road then you allow it to come back again or allow those people that have nothing to do on the road to come back again. So, NPA should take responsibility of monitoring those access roads. They should have a standby task force that will not allow it to come back again. This is because it is just like a dog. If you don’t feed your dog very well, it will become a nuisance to you, even the owner. So, if you allow the road to be in the hands of anybody to manage, I think the problem will still continue. Those that you have chased away will come back and it might be dangerous. So, NPA and the Lagos state government are supposed to work together. If they can work together and remove all those trucks from the road, then what stops them not to manage it. What stops them from sustaining the good job they have done? So, the union will appreciate them. We thank them for what they did. But, let there be continuity of what they have put in place.

Still talking about the roads, we notice there are failed portions all the way from Coconut bus stop before you get to Sunrise bus stop down to Tin Can port. We don’t know what NPA is doing about it.

Well, to me, like what I just said earlier. NPA should not see that road like the road belongs to federal government or ministry of works or whatever. They should take it as part of their responsibilities. So, if you are talking about Coconut bus stop and the other side, is it not an access road to the port? So, you have your Corporate Social Responsibility as an organization. There should be some part of the CSR earmarked for Apapa Local Government or Ajeromi Local government. I think that is the attitude of most of this management. They believe the local government can take care of the road. Where is the local government? Even where we are now, the access road to Osho drive here has been there for almost 20 or 30 years and we have a local government. So, the NPA should not allow the good job they have done to be taken over by all those bad boys