By Steve Agbota
The Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has returned to the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) to strengthen its partnership to tackle endemic corruption and to ensure seamless traffic and operations along the port corridors after the two bodies settled their rift.
In recent times, the leadership of COMTUA accused the PSTT of benefitting from bribes collected from truckers and also fault the performances recorded by the task force team along the port corridors.
However, the allegation led to a frosty relationship between the PSST and COMTUA.
Speaking at the annual congress of the association held in Lagos during the weekend, the National President of COMTUA, Mr. Adeyinka Aroyewun said that the association has returned to PSTT after the reconciliation dialogue between the two bodies, saying that the association initially left the committee because they felt it was derailing from its core purpose.
According to him, with efforts by the NSC the union has decide to sheath its sword and embrace reconciliation.
“We left the committee initially because the committee seems to be derailing. But over time, with our criticism and lots of efforts of the Nigerian Shippers Council, I think we are now on track. COMTUA sees the reason to collaborate with them especially when it comes to the area of traffic in the port access roads. I want to believe that if we collaborate, we will achieve more results than what we are seeing,” he added.
However, he said the association is still largely faced with some challenges in the last one year, which include difficulties in removing hoodlums and extortionists from port’s roads, even as the association had received assurances from the government that the menace would soon become a thing of the past.
“The challenges associated with the electronic call up regime, which have enriched many obsolete facilities operators at the expense of our members hard earn income. We cannot ignore the lack of recognition from relevant agencies; this is sometimes a ploy, especially intended to polarise truckers. These agencies have their accomplices within our unions, however, COMTUA remains focused.
“The paucity of funds in the last one year of this administration needs to be emphasised. This is caused by several factors, which include non generation of revenue, deliberate attempt by agencies and above all the failure of our last administration to surrender the accounts and some valuable assets of the association to the current administration. One finds it absurd to see someone leave office and withhold the control of the association’s account,” he added.
Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of PSTT, Mr Moses Fadipe who represented the Nigerian Shippers Council at the event, said that the team decided to welcome COMTUA back for better relationship and engagement in achieving its goals and objectives.
He noted that the rules of engagements of the committee still remains unchanged. He implored COMTUA to strictly abide by the rules and engagement to avoid future disagreements.
“The COMTUA President said sometimes ago that they left the Task Team because they felt they are not doing enough but now they said they are back.
A father cannot have 20 children and wish that one will be out of the palace. We have welcomed them back fully as the National Coordinator. I would convey the message to the presidential task team. But be that as it may, our rules of engagement remain the same. It has never changed,” he said.