Folashade Alli
The management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has urged Terminal Operators to fulfil their statutory functions on dock workers.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, made this declaration at a sensitisation seminar organised for dock workers in Lagos.
He said that the seminar was to complement the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government, saying that all players in the maritime sector must work together.
Akpobolokemi also called for collaboration among the key players to address the challenges by the change of technological dynamic of the maritime industry.
He said that the agency had been able to compel stevedoring companies to used 0.5 per cent of what it collected from dock workers to train them.
Akpobolokemi said NIMASA had trained over 3,167 dock workers since 201.
The Director-General was represented by Mr Bala Agaba, Executive Director, Maritime Safety department of NIMASA.
In his response, Otunba Kunle Folarin, Chairman, Port Consultative Council (PCC), said that the International Labour Convention (ILO) of 1973, number 137 was about decent work environment in the port labour industry.
Folarin said that the seminar was organised to sensitise partners in the maritime industry such as stevedoring companies, NIMASA and terminal operators to make sure they implement the solutions deliberated in the seminar.
He said that implementation is strategic to the convention and urged NIMASA to install the processes for compliance and also to enforce compliance.
Folarin said that there was need for NIMASA to jump start the processes now that Nigeria was running late and there is change of environment in maritime industry.
Mr Bolaji Sunmola, President, Stevedoring Workers Association of Nigeria commended NIMASA’s effort for involving the key players to look at the safety and proper organisation of work ethics at the ports.
Sunmola said that he prayed that the seminar would be a roll off of the cooperation been expected from NIMASA adding that this would also assist to create standard in ways of operations at the ports.
He said that this would also increase the vessel turn around at the port.
However, he urged both the terminal operator and NIMASA to assist in training dock workers to enable them to improve on cargo discharge at the port.
