The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has restated the Agency’s commitment
to ensuring the welfare of all Dockworkers at the Nation’s Seaports.
The DG made this known while addressing protesting Dockworkers from the
ENL Terminal at the NIMASA Headquarters in Lagos.
While briefing the DG on the reasons for their protest, the spokesman of
the workers, Mr. Lekan Afolabi said that they have been working at the ENL
terminal for the past 10 years without appointment letters. He said they
were only recently issued the letters after they made their grievances
known to the ENL Management. He also appealed to the DG to intervene on
the issue of their terminal benefits in order to avoid chaos in the Ports.
The DG thanked the Dockworkers for being orderly and peaceful in their
demands. He said that since the Agency regulates maritime labour practices
in the country, he would do everything legal within his powers to ensure
that their grievances are adequately addressed.
“A labourer is worthy of his rewards, in this regard we shall ensure that
no Dockworker in all the Seaports in Nigeria is short changed”, the NIMASA
DG said.
Dr. Dakuku charged the Dockworkers to continue to be law abiding while the
Agency tries to resolve the dispute through a tripartite meeting with the
leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, ENL Management and
NIMASA.
It should be noted that NIMASA is responsible for the welfare of
Dockworkers and Seafarers in line with the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Agenda and the MLC 2006 Convention which
Nigeria recently ratified.