The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has commended the immediate past President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Emmanuel Anthony Nted, for maintaining peace and industrial harmony at the port during his tenure.
Hastrup who stated this at a sendoff ceremony organised by the union for Nted at the weekend, said during Nted’s eight-year tenure, the nation’s seaports witnessed unprecedented calm.
According to the STOAN Chairman, “The peace and enabling environment we enjoyed during his tenure is unprecedented in the history of the maritime sector.
“Under the leadership of Tony, there was no problem in the maritime industry but before his emergence, there used to be incessant stoppage of work at the port, which is not good for the country, as the port is crucial to the economy.
“He indeed created cordial relationships between the workers and the employers. It was not all rosy at the beginning because he fought for the right of dockworkers and made the employers to recognise the fact that workers are our partners in progress, who have the right to live,” she said.
Hastrup appealed to members of the union to extend the same support given to Nted to the newly elected President-General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju.
“I want to appeal that the kind of support you gave to Tony you will always extend to Adeyanju. You made a good choice in Comrade Adeyanju because he has been under the tutelage of Tony. We identify with Comrade Adeyanju because he also has the love of the industry at heart. Tony couldn’t have given us a better person,” she said.
Earlier, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba lamented the poor state of roads leading to the ports, which he said might have been responsible for the high cost of clearing goods in Nigeria.
The NLC president charged the Federal government to find a way of removing the bottlenecks in the nation’s ports operations.
“Why is it difficult to fix our roads after so many years? The problems of Nigeria are systemic. What works in other countries do not work here. In Ethiopia, the government runs the airline and it works. It is not a matter of whether the enterprise is private or public, here we lack prudence, accountability and trust,” he said.
On his part, Nted said, “The Federal Government has failed as far as our maritime industry is concerned, if you go to the Apapa port you would see it, that place did not degenerate in one day, it has been on for so many years, successive governments would come and speak all the grammars but no practical, this is where the Federal Government is generating revenue, it is the gateway to the nation’s economy.
“People lose their lives every day due to the bad roads leading to the ports, whereas the importance of these roads cannot be overemphasised, as a result clearance in the port is stagnating.” Nted
charged government to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and create more job opportunities, warning that those in positions of leadership should “stop playing on people’s intelligence by mixing politics with business”.
The new President-General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju said the event was organized in recognition of Nted’s exemplary leadership qualities and philanthropy.
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