Maritime union threatens to flush out unregistered tally clerks, on- board security men from port.

Segun Oladipupo

The leadership of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has set Monday, 12th September, 2022 as the date to flush out unregistered personnel working as tally clerks and on-board security men from the ports in Nigeria


The President General of the MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju who stated this on Tuesday at the official flag-off ceremony of the e-registration platform and biometric identification for dockworkers, added that the move was necessary following spate of insecurity in the country.

Comrade Adeyanju also stated that the practice of using unregistered security operatives as gangway security men, negates the Act establishing the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Fuming, he said the terminal operators and shipping companies, have inculcated the habit of engaging private security operatives to work as the gangway security men and talky clerks.

According to him, their practice leads  to under-declaration of tonnage by shipping lines and terminal operators which he said is taking tolls on the revenue of the federal government.

He therefore informed the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and that of the Nigeria ports Authority (NPA) that as from Monday, 12th September, the union would flush out  all the illegal security operatives who are not registered but engaged to be working in the port.

Speaking earlier, he lauded the initiative of NIMASA for coming up with the biometric identification of dockworkers.

“It has to do with what is happening in the port where the on-board security men and tally clerks were phased out of the port some years ago.

“What shipping companies now do is to bring in unregistered security men to work as on-board security men. 

“Then where do you keep the registered talky clerks and onboard security men in line with NIMASA Act?

“Shipping companies have been benefitting from this but NPA doesn’t know the implication of phasing out onboard security men and tally clerks.

“Who is doing the job of the onboard security men and tally clerks now, who is taking the records, how do you know the tonnage each of the vessels brought?

“How do you know whether they are loading empty to be stuffed or stuffed to be empty containers? Nobody is taking record of that

“Tally clerks and onboard security men are integral parts of dockworkers, it is by law

“We need to identify the registered ones from the unregistered ones, that is why the union as from Monday, all the unregistered talky clerks and onboard security men employed by shipping companies will be phased out” Adeyanju declared.