President of the dock workers branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Ibrahim Ohize has said that the viral video on social media showing dock Workers removing tyres from imported cars in the port did not happen in Nigeria.
Recall that the President General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju had recently issued a 14-day ultimatum to the dock workers president, district and unit heads of the union to flush out wharf rats from the ports. Adeyanju had expressed dissatisfaction over how the name of the union was being dragged in the mud with recent reports of pilfering in the ports.
As a result, he called on the branch, district and unit executives to flush out any unregistered dockworker from the port within 14 days, saying failure to comply, will attract penalty.
However, at a recent meeting with the dockworkers, the President General issued another warning to the dockworkers on account of the viral video, which showed how some dock workers at the port were changing tyres of new cars to sell.
According to him “This is another warning to you, there is a video I received showing where some dock workers are changing tyres of some new cars, and I have asked the dock workers President to identify those involved, because many of you do not know the implication of this, what some of these people go through before they bring in those cars or goods, and if you now begin to remove or steal part of their goods, it just means that you want God to remove of your progress as well”, he cursed
However, in response to the viral video, President of the dock workers branch of the union said after critically examining the video, he found out that the persons in the video are not Nigerian dock workers. He added that Maerskline and CMA CGM containers do go to Tin can port and that the apron worn by the wharf rats in the video does not belong to Nigerians, he said all dock workers wear apron with their name as tags on it.
He said much has been done for the dock workers and no dock worker will be involved in such action, because, according to him, “they are bigger than that”.
He said that:“The erstwhile President, that is the current President General(Adeyanju) had cleansed the port of such attitude before the coming into office of the present administration, and with all of the benefits that dock workers now enjoy, I don’t think any of the dock workers will engage in such an attitude”
Harping on the incentive being enjoyed by Nigerian dockworkers which will make stealing in the ports unattractive, he said: “Before now the dockworkers don’t have gratuity, but today they have that, before now, no dock worker was on pension, but today you brought that, and even the salary of dock workers has increased and also to be review every two years, with all these benefits, I don’t think any of the dock workers will engage in such an attitude”.
