The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has called on the Federal Government to relocate the tank farms from the port city of Apapa, andf other port locations across the country immediately to enable easy movement of people and cargoes in and out of the ports and for safety.
The union blamed the chaotic situation on the Apapa end of the highly busy expressway on the activities of petroleum tankers, even as the union acknowledged that this wouldn’t have been if there were no petroleum tank farms along the axis.
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has called on the Federal Government to relocate the tank farms from the port city of Apapa, andf other port locations across the country immediately to enable easy movement of people and cargoes in and out of the ports and for safety.
The union blamed the chaotic situation on the Apapa end of the highly busy expressway on the activities of petroleum tankers, even as the union acknowledged that this wouldn’t have been if there were no petroleum tank farms along the axis.
President of MWUN, Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel gave the charge last Friday at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Festac Town, Lagos.
The union equally added its voice to the rising condemnation of terrorism in some parts of the country, saying that this is worrisome as no part of the country can now be declared safe.
The union observed that petroleum tankers have permanently taken over the Apapa-Oshodi expressway and all access roads to the seaports and by so doing, compromised the efficiency and service delivery level at the port, in addition to the loss of man-hour on the maritime industry.
In his welcome address, Comrade Nted noted that the union had repeatedly called for the relocation of the tank farms from Tin Can and Apapa ports for safety of lives, properties and for economic reasons.
"Although the government had earlier promised to relocate these tank farms away from their present sites, we are surprised that they have not done so yet. For us, the time for the relocation is now" he said.
Driving his point home, Comrade Nted said, "we therefore demand that all the tank farms be relocated away from our seaports in Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne and away from residential, commercial areas"
The union further urged Nigerians to reduce lamentations over the effect of terrorism and state of total insecurity in the country.
Particularly, the union sympathized with the parents and school authorities of the recently kidnapped school girls at Chibok in Borno State, expressing optimism that the perpetrators of the act will not go unpunished.
"The list of atrocities now visited on Nigerians and foreigners domiciled in our country is almost innumerable, we therefore call on all tiers of government to stop the current name-calling and passing of buck, and form a strong synergy to fight this nightmare", he appealed.
Also speaking at the NEC meeting, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi commended the MWUN president for effectively steering the union in the right direction.
The NIMASA boss, who was represented by Head, Marine Environment Management Department of NIMASA; Mrs Juliana Gunwa, said that NIMASA holds the union so dear in terms of its contributions towards the effective implementation of the agency's mandate.
"The role of the MWUN as one of the key stakeholders representing the interest of workers is equally crucial in ensuring the continuous maintenance of industrial peace and harmony in a decent working environment" Akpobolokemi said.
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