MWUN begs NIMASA to partake from CVFF Fund

By ZION Olalekan and Abiola Seun

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has sought for part of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds (CVFF)to support its members under the Lagos Commercial Private Boat Operators District, which it said would enable them address some of their operational challenges.

The boat operators’ request was made known by Mr. Abdul Erodje, a member of the association, who also represented the President General of the MWUN, Mr. Adewale Adeyanju on the occasion of the Customer Service Week celebration hosted by NIMASA in Apapa Lagos.

Erodje noted that the funds would enable the association members solve some of their operational challenges including high cost of boats and outboard motor engines, standard life jackets, boat anchors and others.

He said: “We are asking NIMASA to make available a small percentage of the CVFF to be deployed to this area, to enhance the development of waterways transportation in Lagos State and nation-wide.”

Likening their demand to that of the indigenous shipowners, Erodje said “With proper management, this fund so deployed by NIMASA will enable the local boat operators to acquire standard boats to provide internationally accepted inland waterways transportation services to the citizens of Nigeria, just like the indigenous shipowners are going to use the CVFF for standard vessels to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts in that sector, because boats and vessels are all conventional means of transportation.”

He expressed his conviction that the funding of the local boat operators by NIMASA to acquire standard boats would also form part of the local content development drive of the agency.

While the association wants NIMASA to establish search and rescue volunteer groups and taking up their training, it also requested that NIMASA collaborates with relevant stakeholders in the industry to perfect registration of members and training/ certifying them on Power-Driven Small Crafts, ferries, pleasure boats to establish a pool of well-trained workforce that employers can pick from.

Erodje said the association was confident that the above-mentioned initiative would save the industry the burden of employing untrained boat workers who could pose dangers to other boat operators and passengers

Meanwhile, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stressed the need for customer-focused business transactions since “businesses exist because of the customers.”

Speaking at the event, Dakuku who was represented by the Head of Legal Services, Mrs. Aishatu Jidda noted that “customers have to be retained to sustain the business.”

According to him, “the relationship is maintained by providing quality or excellent service at all times, because customers will only expend their hard-earned resources on satisfaction they derive from what they buy.”

He explained that the Customer Consultative Forum (CCF), which was instituted in NIMASA through Service Compact with all Nigerians (SERVICOM), has facilitated discussions on the highlights, constraints and successes of businesses and organisations in their interface with the agency’s regulatory role.

On his part, Head of the NIMASA unit of SERVICOM, Mr. Abiodun Olusegun, said the agency highly regards robust engagement with stakeholders in its regulatory and promotional activities.

He urged boat operators under the Lagos District of the Commercial Private Boat Operators to always contact the agency’s SERVICOM office for intervention on issues affecting their operations