200 jetties across the country unmanned —MWUN

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has raised fresh alarm that not less than 200 jetties across the country are currently unmanned and that this poses security risk to the nation.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos recently, NPA Branch President of MWUN, Comrade Ifeanyi Mazeli blamed the situation at the jetties on lack of employment of new staff into NPA in the past decade. He said that currently, the NPA is operating an inverted pyramid structure whereby the senior staff are more than the junior staff.

Mazeli also disclosed that in the recent recruitment exercise into the NPA, more than 300 people have so far been employed.

According to Mazeli, “We have more than 200 jetties unmanned, if you look at the concessionaires, there is no NPA staff to monitor whatever they are bringing into the country, so even when cargoes are declared lower than what was imported, you have to accept whatever figure they give you because you don’t have your people there ascertain the actual figure.

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“This is the job of the junior workers and in a situation where you have more senior workers than the junior ones, then it is not the best.

“So far, the last figure I am aware of is 300, myself and the senior staff president were there to address them in ASCON some few weeks ago. They just started working, but we are meeting with management to get the actual figure. As president of the junior workers, I need to know the number of my members.

“Much as we welcome the employment going on, let it be used to correct the anomaly. If you look at the system now, we are not maintaining a pyramid structure. We have a situation where the top is heavier than the bottom. The officer cadre is heavier than the junior staff cadre that is doing the work. As much as there is a window of employment now, we are saying that we should use the opportunity to correct the anomaly.”