By: Bisi Akingbade
As Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is to be inaugurated on Monday as the next President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the President General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Prince Adewale Adeyanju, has suggested that the federal government should make appointment of heads of agencies based on experience and deep knowledge of the industry.
Adeyanju, who spoke at a Maritime Roundtable organized by the Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria, MAJAN, opined that professionals who rise through the rank and file will perform well than outsiders who know nothing about the industry.
In his words: "And when you want to bring somebody to manage port operations don't bring a carpenter or somebody that read English or somebody that is into bakery, and you now appoint him to be the managing director of Nigerian Ports Authority. What do you expect? He will not perform. He will only learn from the old hands and the moment they graduated from learning from us, those people that helped them to learn, they will subject them, they will ask them to get out. That is what is making the port not to be more efficient.
"If you appoint the right person within the rank and file of the organisation he is going to give you result because he started from the grass to grace." Adeyanju who doubles as the Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, stated that his advice becomes necessary because the incoming government can bring anybody to be NPA managing director, they can appoint anybody as D G NIMASA or ES Shipper's Council.
He cited the example of what is happening in NIMASA, where the man at the helms of affairs in NIMASA rose through the ranks.
"He started from grass to grace. He knows all the problems facing the regulatory agency, he knows the problems within. Compare with all those that had been appointed over the years. I am not supporting him but if someone has done very well, you applaud him.
"So, Jamoh is not new to all of you. He has touched everywhere. He started with NMA and he has performed creditably well".
He declared that his new position as Deputy President of NLC will bring a more robust and proper exposure and recognition for maritime industry from the NLC.
According to him, "the position of deputy president of Nigeria Labour Congress is like adding more feathers to the one I have gotten before. Mine is to make sure that the people that elected me feel the impact of why they have elected me to serve them and that is what I have been doing. Even in NLC, I was the National Trustee before I was elected as the Deputy President of NLC.
"We have been trying to see how we can encourage all the stakeholders in maritime sector for proper recognition.
Coming on board now is going to give us more feathers, more exposure, more recognition that have not been giving attention. Mostly the dockworkers, the Nigerian Ports Authority , the shipping, the seafarers and other related port operations that are stakeholders in the maritime sector, and whatever might have been an hindrance between any of the management within maritime sector I think it is my responsibility to cry out for all of them.
"The position is not only for maritime Worker's of Nigeria alone. It cuts across all the sectors within the maritime sector. So you are going to see more recognition from Nigeria Labour Congress because over the years we were not been carried along in term of exposure, but this time around when you see number two citizen of Nigeria Labour Congress being a President of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria nobody will cry that we are not been recognized. It is an opportunity for all the stakeholders so that we can rally round and support ourselves".
The President General also said that the issue of IOCs has been a burning issue in the mind of Nigerian workers as a whole. "I can tell you the level of compliant is well remarkable unlike it was before when we are having sectional compliance. I can say here without mincing any word that some of those oil companies that believed in liquidity have started complying with the extant law of stevedoring act in line with NIMASA, in line with Nigerian Ports Authority".
He confirmed that sixty to seventy per cent of IOCs have complied but remarked that it's unfortunate that the IOCs came to this country to come and invest in Nigeria but sometimes believe in this impunity that has always been the order of the day.
"At times government will give directive and they will not obey. They don't respect the law of this great country", he stated.
"You can see how we have been making noise in this country, minister will give directive for seven days and the seven days can turn to one year or two years. It is a slap on us, we are not going to accept that anymore. Thank God we are about to witness another government who I think any moment from now will take over from out going government.
"Yes, every leader has its own style of leadership. The man coming in, many are saying he knows how to do it best. He' s been governor for eight years. He is this, he is that but ruling the entire thirty six states is not one state. Nigeria is a complex state but what we need to do is to give him an advice as maritime stakeholders including you.
"We all know what we have been passing through in the hands of the outgoing government. Where the road leading to the port was nothing to write home about, where it took them seven to eight years to fix the road. They have not even fixed the road for now because that is the most important thing.
"The centre will are talking about today is three things - road, light and water. If you don't give me light how do I bring in the water? And if the road is not habitable for people to move where is going to be the development. This is a port and is not a new port, its an old port. I think it's a slap on the part of the outgoing government who doesn't recognise the port users, who doesn't recognise all the role journalists have played on this road.
"Look at the Tin Can Island port, the road leading to Tin Can Island port has been taken over by the artisans , where they erected two bedroom flat on our road. If you go there around 6.00 or 7.00 o clock in the night you will see school children with school uniform. If they have not erected two bedroom flat on the road what are those children doing on that road at that time. And who is monitoring them? Nobody.
"So, the Nigerian Ports Authority that supposed to be the landlord who believes that the road leading to the port belongs to him and that is federal road , and if I don't have a very good vehicle to ply that place to go and do my business in the ports my vehicle will be grounded. and people that have taken over that place are vulganiser, mechanics, artisans, food vendors and they are cooking on the road. That is why you see so many people been attacked everyday", he explained.
On the issue of creating another ministry for maritime industry, Adetanju said that MWUN always aligns with good innovations that will help the maritime sector to move forward, adding that creating a ministry within a ministry always give a lot of suspicions.
"You all know what happened to Nigerian Ports Authority workers in 2006 when the ports were concessioned into private hands and all of us are saying yes nobody will lose their job, even the management are telling us they are not going to lose their job but what happened?
"Almost thirty thousand Nigerian Ports Authority workforce then lost their jobs. So, what is important is efficiency. People creating another ministry if there is no efficiency coming from the management team, is still going to be the same old story".
"When we are talking about the road here in Lagos let us extend the same problems to other ports of the federation, Calabar port, those are the premier port of those days. Go and see what is happening there. Dredging of that port has been our major concern over the years that it should be dredged but all investors, businessmen, clearing and forwarding agents believe in Lagos port alone. What happens to the other ports? If you go to Warri port no activities there as a result of no government attention there.
"Look at the new Lekki port. They fund Lekki port out of the old port. Tell the me the magic that Lekki port will perform when the road leading to Lekki port is nothing to write home about. So the government should focus on other ports too.
"We will keep on telling them not to centralize the projects in one area but other ports too".
Answering questions on how issues in the ports were approached by the past NLC leaders which different from his own approach. The President General noted that "the industry doesn't have incessant strike that has always been the order of the day then as a result of the transformation and innovation coming from leaders, saying that trainings upon trainings, awareness upon awareness sensitizing members are responsible for the industrial peace.
"A good leader must not disconnect from his followers. You have constant meetings with them. Let them know your own policy. Let them follow, if you follow it, is better for all of us," he stated.
"As a dockworker myself, all my past leaders I always learnt from them in a hard way. But today a dockworker are professionals. There is no way you are going to bring anybody from anywhere and put him for work. Where is the training? But today a dockworker had been trained to a standard so today the strike should not be the utmost. It is the last weapon of any union leaders.
On retirement age of civil servants, he said "age is not for sale , likewise we don't buy wisdom. Wisdom is from God while is not permanent. Everybody exit in line with your age when your time comes. Is only they don't value wisdom and age in Nigeria today.
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"Go to other countries you see them seventy to eighty years they are still working. When you traveled outside the country you see old people still working and they will be telling you there is no retirement age in our country.
"In Canada they will tell you that you can work till you die because they still value your experience. But here in our country we don't value experience. You engaged me at age of twenty years and retirement age is sixty and the agility to work is still there and even before you retired me, my retirement benefit is still going to take another year before you pay. Instead of you to use that one year why don't you extend my retirement age so that by the time you are retiring me what you are supposed to pay me will be well planned".
Comrade Adeyanju condemned Casualization and called it a virus.
"In any place in the world, casuals have no home and this is the case we have been making over the years. Before now there was nothing like pension or gratuity, but with new trends in the ports now, which is favourable to the dockworkers, we can see peace in the ports because we have collective bargaining agreement, CBA, with their employers ,which is midwifed by Nigerian Ports Authority NPA and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA,who are the regulatory agencies monitoring the Dockworkers activities in the ports."
He also said that the Union has reached an agreement with relevant stakeholders and agreed on the three modes of operations that have taken care of this virus called casuals.
"We have permanent employment within the rank and file of the Dockworkers. There is what we call payment by tonnage which means that the tonnage will be shared amongst all the people that worked on board the vessel."
He noted that the dockworkers are the engine room of operation in the industry, and should be accorded the respect they deserve.
The President General was later honoured with an award of Maritime Labour Icon by MAJAN.
The President of MAJAN, Comrade Ray Ugochukwu commended the Comrade Adeyanju for the great transformation of dockworkers since his assumption of office as the President General of MWUN.
