Local: MWUN leaders meet on next line of action for arrest of dockworkers


Leaders of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, will meet today in Lagos to decide the next course of action following the expiry of the 48-hour deadline given to the Government of the Rivers State to free some 20 dock workers detained last Saturday.

Recall that the union vowed to close down the maritime sector of the country from today should the Government of the Rivers State refuse to release the staff detained on their way home after major operations at Port Harcourt Port.

They were said to have been arrested by the state COVID-19 taskforce team led by Governor Nyesom Wike and that all entreaties and explanations by the workers fell on deaf ears.

Speaking on the development, President-General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju, said: “the ultimatum subsists because nothing has changed. We have informed the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Wabba, about the development and he will get to us tomorrow (today). Also, we will be meeting tomorrow (today) to decide the next line of action. As we speak, the BUA/PTOL terminal, Port Harcourt, has been shut since Sunday. However, I can say more than this until after our tomorrow’s meeting.”

Threatening to shut down the maritime sector from today, the President-General's statement on Sunday regretted that the announcement of the "Important Duty Ports Transfer" provided by the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, did not affect the governor, rather he allegedly told the staff to go to Abuja where they could operate unhindered.

According to the statement, the union claimed no fewer than 20 dockworkers were arrested and some others could not be accounted for as at yesterday, saying among others, “all entreaties/explanation made by our members to the task force team led by the Governor Nyesom Wike, that they were on essential services fell on deaf ears even after they presented duly signed ‘Essential Duty Port Pass’ issued by the Nigerian Port Authority, NPA. Instead, the governor mocked them that they should go to Abuja and work.

Consequent to the above, most terminal operators, shipping companies and port users in Port Harcourt ports are closing down shop as a direct result of the activities of the Rivers State government for not allowing port workers and other stakeholders to work. This has direct implication for the nation’s economy and a clear threat to the employment and job security of port workers including dockworkers and shipping companies’ employees.

As direct consequences of Governor Wike’s action, some terminal operators have closed down their operations till further notice leading to loss of jobs by Nigerians especially dockworkers.

The statement said: “We wish to draw the attention of Governor Wike to the fact that port operations is placed on the exclusive list in the constitution and is, therefore, under the direct management of the Federal Government through the Ministry of Transport and its agency – Nigerian Ports Authority.

We also wish to draw the attention of the public to the fact that littoral states like Lagos, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, etc, all allow maritime operations without the harassment of workers whose services are ‘essential to the functions of the nation’s economy. These workers that were arrested and those we cannot account for as at today, are contributors to the federation account revenue that the Rivers State government joins other states of the federation to share every month besides the taxes these workers pay to the Rivers State government every month as pay as you earn, PAYE.


We call on President Buhari, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi Rotimi, and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail over Governor Wike to urgently release our members, others who have been detained, and their staff buses impounded on Saturday, 9 May 2020. Already, there is restiveness in all ports around the world, and this appeal for the release of the detained staff is to calm the rising tension in the ports which could snowball into full-scale industrial unrest if not quickly apprehended now.

We will like to use this opportunity to announce that if nothing is achieved to affect the liberation of our members over the next 48 hours beginning on Monday, May 11, 2020, the union would have no choice but to suspend our services in the entire nation's seaport, terminals and jetties in unity with our detainees as a one-off loss to everyone.