LAGOS – Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, the Minister of Transportation, has averred that maritime workers are vital not only to the maritime industry but also to Nigeria’s economy.
The minister stated this when the president of Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, led the executive council of the union, on a courtesy visit to him.
He noted that his tenure is short, thus, would require their support, advice and guidance to enable him leave legacy projects before his tenure terminates on May 29, 2023.
Mu’azu said: “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.”
Speaking further, the minister informed the union that he was part and parcel of the maritime industry, having started his public service career with the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He acknowledged that sheer providence had 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 transportation ministry.
Speaking earlier on reasons for the visit, the president of MWUN, Comrade Adeyanju, said the courtesy visit was to congratulate the minister on his appointment and also to discuss some important matters bothering the association.
He also called on the Federal Government to prioritize the dredging of Calabar, Warri and Port-Harcourt ports to forestall the flooding being witnessed in the Lokoja axis in Kogi State.
Adeyanju further used the occasion to call on Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to speed up the process of issuance of biometric identity cards to dock workers and Seafarers Identification Document (SID) to seafarers to checkmate the influx of unauthorised persons at the ports.
