By Giwa SHILE
The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, has urged the staff of the authority to work hard to improve their productivity and boost revenue generation.
Bala-Usman made the plea during the 40th Anniversary of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies, (SSASCGOC), Maritime Branch, on Saturday in Lagos.
Bala-Usman, who was represented by the General Manager, Human Resources of NPA, Mr Yahyah Buka, urged the workers to maintain their drive towards integrity, honesty and transparency.
Bala-Usman encouraged the union to continue to embrace dialogue with the authority’s management of NPA to resolve industrial disputes.
“As an association of senior employees, the management of NPA appreciates your contributions to the smooth operations at the ports.
“The present management of NPA has demonstrated in many ways that the welfare of workers is of topmost priority and you will recall that the management held the first-ever interactive session with all categories of workers in December 2017.
“The meeting enabled the management to rub minds and compare notes with the union leaders on the overall performance of the authority in the discharge of its mandate,” she said.
The President of the association, Mr Adamu Ya’u, urged both the Federal Government and the management of NPA to work toward achieving quick delivery of cargo and improve the turn around time of vessels, which had been a priority of NPA’s management.
He said all the roads leading to the nation’s sea ports should be urgently rehabilitated to achieve this goal.
Ya’u said an improvement in the turn around time of vessels would improve the earnings (revenue) of the NPA.
Ya’u said the vision and mission statement of the authority would have been difficult to achieve if there was lack of harmony between the management and union.
“The association had provided the needed strategy to see to the growth of NPA and the welfare of the workforce; and grievances were jointly tackled by the two umbrella unions of NPA.
“They are Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Maritime Branch and Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN),” he said.
A former President of the association, Mr Oddy Enebeli, commended Bala-Usman for supporting the union.——NAN
