From left: Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo and President -General, Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju during the visit.

Minister of Transport, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo has said that maritime workers play vital role in ensuring and sustaining the well-being of not only the maritime industry but also Nigeria’s economy as a whole. 

The Minister stated this when the President-General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju led the Executive Council of the union on a courtesy visit to the Minister.

He noted that his tenure is short and would therefore requires the support of the workers, advice and guidance to enable him leave legacy projects before his tenure terminates on May 29, 2023.

According to Mu’azu: “If we deliver on our promises before the end of this administration, we would have left some legacies for Nigerians. On the other hand, those we didn’t achieve will be a foundation for others to build on.”

The Minister informed the union that he is part and parcel of the maritime industry, having started his public service career with the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA.

He acknowledged that sheer providence has brought him back to the sector, hence he has no reason to tell Nigerians that he recorded not a single achievement while at the helm of affairs in the Ministry of Transport.

The President-General, who spoke earlier on reasons for the visit, said it was to congratulate the Minister on his appointment and discuss some important matters bothering the association.

He called on the Federal Government to prioritise the dredging of Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt Ports to forestall the flooding being witnessed in the Lokoja axis of Kogi State. 

The MWUN-boss also called on Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency to speed up the process of issuance of Biometric Identity Cards to dock workers and Seafarers Identification Document SID to checkmate the influx of unauthorised persons into the seaports.