“I have never ever threatened any area controller posted to Tin Can Island port or any customs officers at the port”…Sharafa
A lot has been said about Sharafadeen Aremu Oguntoyibo, popularly called "Sharafa" the Chairman of dockworkers branch of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria Pararika Unit at the Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT). He is allegedly notorious. But, Shipping Position Daily’s Roland Ekamawent in search of him and eventually caught up with him recently at a ceremony where he bagged an award, surprisingly, for peace! He opened up for the first time to debunk the series of allegations that were leveled against him.
Tell us a little bit of your journey on how you started As A Dockworker?
I am a labour worker, I started work in 1996,under Harbour Men under the Nigerian Ports Authority from there I moved to S and E before Pakarika unit where I am currently the chairman of the unit located at Tin Can Island port in Lagos.
How many units do you have under TICT?
We have Pakarika , C.A.C.A, Cilytex and one LimpCargo under TICT, then TICT has their own unit under maritime.
You have been given an award for industrial peace in port operations, how would you describe it?
In fact, I am very happy because we have many heads in this unit right here so why Sharafa? We have about four units at TICT alone, so why me. I think kudos should go to the organisers of the awards and those that nominated me, it is historic, I must confess.
What do you think are the challenges of dockworkers?
In Nigeria today, what we have are contractors, and we are supposed to work with the terminal operators directly, but it is not done like that. Normally we are supposed to work with them directly, but because of the fact that they are registered under NIMASA and we know that the agency is in charge of all port operations in this regard, so for us to say we don't want them will be difficult. If they are working with us directly, they know what they are going to pay us our wages, but since NIMASA is in charge, there are some percentage that goes to them, so there is no way we can say we don't want their offer and this is what we are facing.
What then is the way out of this?
The way out of this is for TICT to employ more dockworkers and we also want a situation whereby NIMASA will also increase what we have on ground now. I don't need to go beyond my limit based on our demands, because our President knows better, but we are the ones here and we know what we want. This is my second tenure as a unit head at TICT, I have been able to look into what a labour worker needs and I am fighting to make sure that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Challenges are abound and we can not start to count them one after the other.
Speaking about your profile, a lot of negative stories have been written about you in the media of recent, can we hear your own response to all the allegations?
First of all, let me tell you that I have sued the paper that wrote that article about me, because first of all, I expected them to hear from me before publishing, but they never did. I was in one of the Embassies when someone called me about the story that I used to pass containers from the gate without customs notice, and other illegalities. It is unprofessional on the part of the paper in question and come to think of it, from your own assessment about me, for the few minutes you have spent with me so far here, do I look like someone who can do such things? I was very bitter with the article to the extent that they say; this Sharafa started as a dockworker and he is the current chairman of dockworkers at Tin Can Island Port here in Lagos and that is why my lawyer had to sue the medium that wrote the story to pull me down. Barrister Bamidele Aturu is my lawyer and when I took the paper to him, he was not happy about it as well, I have never been involved in the process of clearing of containers from any terminals in the port, I am not a clearing agent, I don't use my men to bar containers from coming in or from going out. From all indications, I am a blessed man from God because even aside what I do here as the chairman of a unit under the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, dockworkers branch, I am also into Oil and Gas where I have my own firm and also I am into buying and selling of properties, thus I am a businessman and I am not a clearing agent or freight forwarder as it was written in the media, up till date I am still astonished by that article. Barely a month now the Sun Newspaper also published an article about me again, so I don't know where all these reports are coming from; the article was directly referring to me because I am the chairman of dockworker (TICT) and my name is Sharafa, so why me, I started as a labour that is a dockworker, and I am the chairman of unit at (TICT). I don't know what is wrong with the media because I expected the reports to look for the guy called Sharafa just like you did and hear from me, it is unprofessional on their part because they fail to balance their report. Since they knew that I am the chairman of a unit of dockworkers at Tin Can Island port, why can't they go all out to look for me, I am not a ghost; I am a human being that has ear to listen and mouth to talk. I don't know anything about clearing procedures, I am just a common dockworker here and that is all. I have my business that I control so what time do I have to go and destroy or vandalise containers? My name is Sharafadeen Aremu Oguntoyibo and, I am an ordinary unit chairman of dockworker that is Pakarika unit of Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT), people around me know what I am into and what I do for a living. I have never ever threatened any area controller posted to Tin Can Island port or any customs officers at the port. I am not armed with weapons like I read in the paper.
Are you aware that you are in the wanted list of CG of Customs?
It is through the Sun publication that I saw that story and for heaven’s sake. How come that since 2007, I have been declared wanted by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi and I just heard about it last month. This is Sharafa, I come to work every blessed day, I resume work at 8.30am every single day, I have not heard for once that I am wanted by the Customs headquarters or the Federal Operations Unit of Customs, something is wrong somewhere.
Who do you think is behind your down fall?
I don't know, but I believe it has to do with envy and jealousy. TICT as it is, is highly populated by freight forwarders and clearing agents, we the dockworker are hardly seen loitering at the terminal. I will never allow the agents to trample on the customs, that is why some of the big guys in the clearing business hate me. Because right here at this terminal I don't tolerate nonsense for agents and that is why they hate me. You can image a common agent slapping a Customs officer and you expect me as a chairman to just look; No I can't! Rather I ordered my men to deal with such agent for molesting a Customs officer. So maybe that is the reason they hate me. I know they are the ones who are trying to bring me down; it’s the so-called big boys in ANLCA and NAGAFF. But the truth is; how come they are dragging my name in the mud and yet I just collected an award for industrial peace? That will tell you that something is wrong somewhere and that is the truth. Someone is mastermind and orchestrating all these false stories about.
Is the customs aware of your existence at TICT?
Like I said earlier, I am the chairman of this unit here, why won't they know about my existence. We are all friends here, we work together to facilitate trade, if they give us instruction to load, we will load and if they also tell us to stop whenever the need arises, so be it, why must Dikko declare me wanted. I have no problem with Customs at all rather is the clearing agents that have issues with the Customs. There has never been any time a dockworker would want to slap a customs officer, here but it is very common with clearing agents. So why Sharafa, why malign an innocent man who only want peace to reign in a vineyard. We dockworkers we are peaceful people and these guys are taking us for a ride.
What is the relationship between dockworkers and agents at TICT?
We are all Nigerians, we are all stakeholders in maritime industry, but I cannot tolerate any agent to disrupt port operations because this is my farm, I cannot sow seed in my farm then somebody will say he wants to destroy it. This is where my hustle started and no agent can stop it. I am for industrial peace and not for industrial action. These days agents are fond of saying they will shutdown the ports, but I will not sit down and fold my hands to allow that to happen, because I have school fees to pay, I have aged parents to cater for, I have friends and relatives that I attend to whenever it is necessary and other responsibilities, so why should I close my eyes to allow these people to stop my means of livelihood. Whenever the agents have a little misunderstanding with the Customs ,they will point accusing fingers at me, for what I don't know any about, they will say that Sharafa did this and I am the cause of all the problems at the port but their own members will never for once stop their own chairmen.
What was your relationship with the former chairman of ANLCA, at Tin Can Island port chapter, that is, Mr Kayode Farinto?
Kayode Farinto was the former chairman of his association here, he is more like the head of that association here and I am also one of the chairmen of dockworkers here and I believe we were supposed to work together. But wherever there is any issue at Tin Can, they will call me why they also have a role to play as well; I expect all of us to calm the situation down together. In the case of the recent rift at TICT, I was outside the terminal; in fact I was somewhere in Apapa when my phone rang and it was their Western Zonal Coordinator by the name; Ozo Chukwura who called me that I should come right away to TICT, that there is rift between my men and some agents. So I think when issues like that arise, they should be able to handle it all by themselves without the other party. Now there was day Farinto called me on another rift and I had to tell him point blank that you are the chairman of an association why can't you go there and settle the problem. I also called my men not to allow any of my members to go out of the terminal, I had to rush down to the port and as God will have it, the Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port command of the Customs was there while the heat was on, SSS men were there too, the Commissioner of Port Police was there, DPO Area ‘B’ was there as well and all other security agencies of the government were present and I saw one of the agents molesting a Customs officer, he slapped the man. The action I took day alone amazed all the security personnel present and that will tell you that I am a peace-loving person to the extent that the CAC was pleased with my action in restoring peace to the terminal. But funny enough, three days after, the Sun Newspaper reported that Sharafa on rampage at the port again. It is really funny how the press goes about gathering their own information. That will tell you that the clearing agents are just the people that wanted to bring me down
Its obvious you are still not happy about the reports in the newspapers?
I am not happy in anyway because it has maligned my personality in the industry, even the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, that is Comrade Anthony Nted Emmanuel was bitter about it, the president of dockworkers branch of the union, that is, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju was unhappy about the malicious article in paper, so why will I be happy about such story. In fact it was as a result of the story that made the President General to assist me with his lawyer; to tell you the extent at which he was unhappy about the story.
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