Crisis Brews At Ports As Nted Foists Candidate On MWUN

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  EFCC Petitioned over his sources of income

• Security Report Chilly

There are indications that the forthcoming National Delegate Conference (NDC of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) will throw up crisis in the maritime industry, this is even as the President General of the Union, Comrade Tony Nted, has been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over petitions written against him in which the petitioners wanted to know Nted’s sources of income. They attached photocopies of his houses in Lagos, Warri and Abuja as well as an estate in Port Harcourt.

Unless the Federal Government intervenes, from reliable source, there could be a repeat of pandemonium in the port industry of 90s under Comrade Uzoije Ukaumunna as the President General of MWUN.

With angst and bottled emotions already dictating the direction of delegate conference, the union is divided along ethnic, justice and mercantile lines. Some members are seeking justice, some driven by ethnic considerations, while others want their bread buttered.

A faction is allegedly grouping an ethnic militia for attack in event of uprising, while districts and political factions are pitched against the others, with  threat of killing and blood-letting in the port.

Comrade Nted, who is the incumbent President General, is alleged to be the mastermind of the simmering crisis for insisting on foisting his anointed candidate, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju on the Union, illegitimately.

A group of concerned dockworkers have described Adeyanju as a “puppet successor candidate,” because of Nted’s confidential statement to some confidants. “My choice for Adeyanju is not just to be the President but he will protect my business interests in the port”, Nted reportedly said.

Nted, who is serving out his two terms of eight years in office by March, 2017, has been accused of denying other aspirants for the position of President General the opportunity to contest, and was said to have secured the assistance of the Registrar of Trade Union at the Federal Ministry of Labour, Mrs. N. Mbaogu to secure approval for the doctored constitution of the Union, which among other things, created illegal 5 districts from within the dockworkers group. This scavenging exercise will give him additional delegates, which are not constitutionally recognized, according to the concerned Union members.

The embattled presidents general is alleged to have breached the Union’s constitution on too many planks, all in the bid to impose Adeyanju, whom is said to be sponsored by the founder of Odua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasheun. Nted and Fasheun, were said to have struck accord on producing Adeyanju as the next president.

Following this, Nted was said to have said that he would manipulate the process by not allowing other interested aspirants to make their aspiration public and he has played by it.

Against the constitution of the Union, he has not officially announced the date and venue of the NDC less than two months to March 17, 2017, which he told his caucus members in confidence. The venue is Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

Nted is said to be so fixated about making Adeyanju his successor that all entreaties from his union members, management of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), some Executive Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency (NIMASA), past president of the Union, Comrade Onikolese Irabor, among others, to take the course of justice and uphold the provisions of the constitution have been useless.

However, MMS Plus gathered that the security report against Adeyanju and Nted, so far, are mind-boggling.

According to a report, Nted’s stevedoring company, Nted International Nigeria Limited, and other subsidiaries are being investigated for flouting the NPA’s rules of engagement of stevering contractors, which stipulates that a contractor must not work in more than a given assigned space.

According to sources, he is equally being investigated for alleged mid-stream discharge operations.

Adeyanju is said to being investigated for allegedly  engaging the services of dockworkers in more than one space, with one company in less unfriendly manner.

Meanwhile, less than two months to the NDC, Nted has insisted that nobody should embark on any campaign but he is allegedly campaigning for Adeyanju, not even approval has been given for the purchase of electoral forms or posters sighted anywhere. Rather, they allege that he calls different districts of the union and tell them about his anointed candidate, and why he must be voted for.

However, the meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) and the National Administrative Council (NAC) has been fixed for January 30th at the Union Secretariat.

Efforts to reach Nted on his three numbers failed.

Details of the investigations and constitutional breaches will be published next week.