24-hour port operation forces seaport workers to sleep in vehicles —Labour

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) branch of the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations (SSACTAC) has said that since the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo issued an Executive Order mandating 24-hour port operation at the seaports, workers of the NPA have been sleeping in their vehicles at night to ensure the policy is fulfilled.

Speaking to newsmen recently on the sideline of the protest embarked upon by seaport workers against further amendment of the NPA Act, President of SSACTAC, Benson Adegbeyeni, stated that the port cannot operate 24 hours for now because of lack of infrastructures like good roads and proper lightening of the ports.

According to him, “since the fuzz about 24 hours port operations began last month, NPA workers have been sleeping in their vehicles daily just to please the government.”

He also lamented that there is no security at the port and that there is no good roads leading into and outside the port as against what is obtainable in other countries of the world where the ports operate round-the clock.

“Look at the roads leading to our port, see how terrible they are. Look at our port entrance, very pathetic. The port entrance all over the world, which is the gateway to the country’s economy is always smooth as the expressway. Ours is not like that.

“Talking about 24 hours port operations, where is the lighting? Can you work inside the ports at night? No, because of poor lightening of the ports. My people are complaining that they always sleep inside their car.

“We have been fortunate to travel all over the world to other ports like the port of Antwerp and England, they are being run by private hands and their government are not like this over there.”