The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Tuesday vowed that its members will no longer board incoming vessels that are not quarantined against the deadly coronavirus.
The President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju who said at the union’s secretariat in Apapa however decried the low level of awareness campaign about the virus at nation's seaports.
“We will not work on board any vessel that is not quarantined", he declared.
"If a vessel is coming, there are two flags – a red and a yellow flag and that signifies that there is danger in the vessel and you don't climb such vessels”, he explained.
"And before it will get to that level, I believe that the master (of the ship) would have directed them not to bring such vessel, just like the management of NPA is saying that they will start directing vessels elsewhere”, he said.
"So I am trying to tell the whole world that the awareness campaign of the virus in the port is very poor. But with what has happened today, I believe others will know that we have started sensitising our members", he added.
On the traffic gridlock in Apapa, the MWUN president general alleged that most shipping companies have converted the roads to holding bays for empty containers, even as he urged Nigerians to also blame shipping companies for the gridlock.
"Most of the shipping companies are making money out of Nigeria, they have turned the roads to holding bays"
"At the same time, we felt there is need not to blame some terminal operators and the NPA for the he road shipping companies should also share the blame"
According to him shipping companies do not have leaders whom you can complain to when there is need for that.
