Port workers have expressed displeasure over the Federal Government’s continuous delay in the renewal of the concession licenses of the terminal operators at the nation’s seaports.
To them, the uncertainty surrounding the delay in the renewal of the operating licenses of operators of port terminals is currently impacting negatively on port operations.
BusinessDay reports that the licenses expired after reaching the first 10 years of handling cargo in the ports, and were extended in 2016 for another five years each but the five-year extension also expired in 2021.
Adewale Adeyanju, president of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) made this known at the 2024 Dockworkers Day organised recently by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in collaboration with the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, in Lagos.
He said workers are determined to see the signing of the long overdue licenses by the Federal Government. He appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that the agreements were signed as soon as possible for the employment of dockworkers to be secured.
“We want to see the renewal of the licenses of terminal operators. There are a lot of dividends that we are getting from working with responsible terminal operators. Why are you delaying the signing of their agreements?
“The workers are now warming up because they are worried about what is happening to their employees,” he said.
He further urged the terminal operators to keep training maritime workers and engaging qualified personnel to train workers.
Read also: Uncertainty over terminal licence renewal as port concessions near expiration
Adeyanju, however, lamented that after spending millions of dollars to equip Maritime University Oron, their certificate is still not recognised overseas.
Meanwhile, Adegboyega Oyetola, minister for Marine and Blue Economy, said the Ministry in conjunction with the Nigerian Ports Authority is working to reposition the nation’s ports through the modernisation of the seaports.
He said the move will address dilapidating state of the port infrastructures to enhance efficiency and ensure competitiveness in the global maritime space.
Oyetola, who was represented by Olujimi Oyetomi, director of Press and Public Relations, assured that the Federal Government would continue to create an enabling environment by addressing the infrastructural gaps in the maritime sector to enhance service delivery and encourage the participation of the private sector.
This, he said, is necessary to enhance opportunities and harness the immense benefits in the sector.
Earlier, Eugene Agha, president of SCAN, said that Nigeria was on its way to optimise the benefits of its abundant ocean endowments with the creation of a separate ministry of Marine and Blue Economy for the sector.
Already, he said, both government and private sector stakeholders are repositioning to make the most of this reality.
“In an import-dependent economy, and with the port sector a primary segment of the nation’s focus for revenue generation and economic diversification, we at SCAN believe that Dockworkers are pivotal in translating the efforts to exploit the nation’s near-endless marine potentials into economic wealth,” he said.
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