Following the expiration of the four-year tenure of the executive members of the Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNO/WTSSA), its National President, Engr. Bob Yousuo and other executives have been re-elected.
Speaking at the 2nd Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Lagos on Thursday, the National President, Engr. Bob Yousuo reflected on the achievements of his administration, which began on January 25, 2020.
He highlighted the successful relocation of the association’s headquarters, improved welfare of members and relationship with stakeholders as well as the handling of challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic by securing a grant from the ITF Seafarers Trust Fund, which was used to support members during the pandemic.
According to Yousuo, other notable achievements were the signing of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with shipping companies, the donation of a new Toyota Hiace bus, and efforts to curb the harassment of members by security agencies. The association also saw a significant increase in membership and active participation in international maritime events.
The conference which was held to elect new executives to lead the association for the next four years, seafarers saw the unanimous agreement of delegates to re-elect the immediate past executives unopposed.
In his acceptance speech, the re-elected National President, Yousuo noted that his team’s renewed tenure promises a focused agenda on expanding union membership and ensuring comprehensive benefits for seafarers, setting a visionary path for the Association’s future.
Yousuo explained that the recent National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreements would only benefit seafarers if they are part of the union. He added that by being union members, seafarers can ensure that the agreements negotiated at the national level are effectively implemented at their respective companies through Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
He underscored the necessity for Nigerian seafarers to join the union to avoid isolation and to gain the support they need. He pointed out that without union membership, seafarers might find themselves unsupported and ‘voiceless’ in their workplaces.
Yousou however, called on seafarers to step out of their comfort zones and contribute to the union, stressing that such efforts would yield better results for themselves and future generations.
“We look forward to unionizing more companies. Because one, the NJIC we have just signed will not be meaningful if it doesn’t go down to the seafarers. And the only way the seafarers will benefit is for them to belong to the union.
“We are on our own path to fight to ensure that seafarers have a good condition of service, good working environment, and everything. That is one of the priorities. But it is for our members. If we are members, we will do that to ensure that our members are well taken care of. That is the basic thing that I really want to do,” Yousuo concluded.
On his part, the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Comrade Adewale Adeyanju congratulated the re-elected executive members urging them to keep on the good work they have started and ensuring improved welfare for all Nigeria seafarers.
High points of the conference saw the presentation of awards to deserving members for their meritorious service and dedication to the struggles and success of the union during the last administration.
The Delegates conference was witnessed by critical stakeholders of the maritime industry which include- Executive Director, Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Professor Sule Abiodun, the National President Nigeria Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), Captain Tajudeen Alao and his executives, the Registrar, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Amos Falonipe, and other representatives of International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), Comrade Ayo Ohiwere, Prophet J . T . Ekundayo and many other stakeholders and members of the union were present.
