The President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) who also doubled as Deputy President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Prince Adewale Adeyanju opined that the incoming government should overlook the clamor for the creation of Maritime Ministry but to make efficiency the key word in all parastatal.
Prince Adeyanju said this during the monthly roundtable event organized by the Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN) at their secretariat in Apapa, Lagos State.
The NLC Deputy President is appealing to the incoming president who is a democrat and an activist to make efficiency, professionalism and people’s perspectives his watchword in decision making .
He compelled the incoming president Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider appointment of only technocrats to head the Maritime agencies even other parastatal in order to achieve prompt and efficient delivery of service.
He cited Nigerian Maritime Adminstration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as an example where the head of the agency Dr Bashir Jamoh a career officer who rose through the ranks before he bacame the CEO has being doing exploits.
He was also of the opinion that the government should make other ports in the nation functional by decentralizing port operations in Lagos.
He condemned the appalling situation of all the roads leading to the ports in the country, congested with no access road.
His words,
“It is unfortunate that for eight years the outgoing administration could not do something on the port access roads despite the hues and cries of stakeholders”.
He lamented how artisans and food ventures has taken over Mile2 Tin Can Axis, turned it to an eyesore due to poor management.
He said that even though the Mile2-Tin Can road renovations has been completed the artisan has turned it to live in accommodation.
“They constructed two bedroom apartments on the road , you will see pupils in school uniforms come out in the morning and goes to school.
“There is no monitoring of any sort, Nigerian Ports Authority NPA is not doing anything to curtail the abuse on the highway.
Though it’s a Federal road but NPA has the responsibility of ensuring free movement of vehicles and people on it”.
In the same vein, he condemned the establishment of Lekki Deep Seaport for the same reason while Onne Port is not left out but seek the incoming government to see it as gerrmaine and needs immediate action.
