COMTUA secures insurance covers for truck drivers, owners

Segun Oladipupo. |

The Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Association (COMTUA) on Saturday inaugurated a welfare package and insurance scheme for maritime truck drivers, dock workers and truck owners.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the group, Mr.Ogbogo Aloga announced this shortly before inauguration of the officers of the council.

COMTUA is almagamation of different truck associations and unions in the maritime sector who come together as one body to address the menace of gridlock bedevilling the sector.

The scheme according to Ogbogo, includes provisions of cover for the truck drivers in case of accidents as well as hospital bills.

He maintained that some truck drivers are stationed on the road for months trying to access the ports saying, hospital will be provided for them to go to in case of sickness in the cause of their job

Speaking further, he stated that the body of truck unions would provide mobile toilets for truck drivers to avoid them littering the roads with faeces and urine.

“It is paramount that we put the interest of truck drivers, dock workers and truck owners at heart and that is why we have developed this welfare package for them

“The component of the insurance scheme is to look for a hospital within Apapa and Ijora axis that of any driver is sick, we tell him where to go to and the hospital with traet the driver and submit the bill to COMTUA secretariat and will foot the bill.

“Another components is that most drivers when they travel and have accidents, and the accidents are in two categories, we have temporary and permanent disability.

“Permanent disability is where the hand cuts or the leg cuts, the package will also take care of disability and permanent disability

“We will have a procedure wherever the insurance company will compensate the driver in regards to that.

“In case the driver dies, the immediate family will receive the benefits and will also have a benefit for a driver that goes thirty trips without accident.

“These are the incentives geared towards motivating the drivers because if you bring a tanker driver and a truck driver together, a tanker driver is better because he has a better welfare package,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Co-Chairman of the BOT, Prince Adewale Adeyanju charged the group to take the issue of welfare of members seriously

He said that COMTUA should dare to be different among all organisations in the port by putting on the toga of integrity.

He also charged the inaugurated officers to be diligent in carrying out their assignments even as he called on them to eschew money consciousness but should concentrate on clearing the roads of traffic.

His words,”If you look at my activities over the years, welfare is paramount to me because if you don’t have a good welfare for your members, why are you the head.

“We should have a standard, in all the different organisations in the maritime, I want COMTUA to be different.”

Among the officers inaugurated at the event include; BOT Chairman Mr Aloga I.Ogbogo, BOT co-chairman Comrade Adewale Adeyanjo., President Mr Olaleye Thomson., Deputy President Mr Okafor Stephen, Gen Secretary Mr Victor Nnotum, Asst Gen Sect Mr Yakubu Kolawale

Others are: Vice President Finance Mrs Folake George, Vice President Special duties Mr Audu Eroje, Vice President Communication & Logistics Mr Mashood Adisa, Head of Welfare Mr Amodu Bade, PRO Abdullahi Mohd Inuwa GG, Head of Tags , Comrade Abubakar Bello, Organising Secretary Mr Adeyinka Aroyewun, Treasurer Sir Patrick Onyegbule.

Head of Operation (Tincan) Mr Bidemi Wasiu, Co- Head of Operation (Tincan) Mr Bada Samsindeen, Head of Operation (Apapa) Mr Ahmed Saro, Co-Head of Operation Mr Olawale Oladeinde, Head of Monitoring team (Tincan) Mr Sulu Rasaki, Head of Monitoring team (Apapa) Mr Igumola, Auditor ; Alh Olorun Ishola.