The President-General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Mr Tony Emmanuel has said that about 3,000 workers, have been retrenched by shipping companies , terminal operators and logistics companies in the maritime sector.

The President-General; Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel said in a statement yesterday in Lagos, that the retrenchment was as a result of the ban on importation of some essential commodities.

He urged the Federal Government to review certain aspects of its economic policies, especially those that affected importation of some items.

According to him, it is wrong to outrightly ban those items without affordable and available alternatives.

“As an import-dependent country, Nigeria cannot suddenly ban the importation of principal goods being generally consumed in the country,’’ he said.

Emmanuel said that the policy had sent 20 shipping companies out of the country as a result of dwindled balance sheet.

“As a remedy, the union, however, demanded for a review of the ban,’’ the president-general said.

He appealed to the Federal Government to reverse the ban on items such as: wheat, vehicle spare parts and industrial machineries, until the nation would be able to produce them.

Emmanuel said that, “Failure to do this, will encourage smuggling, diversion of ships to neighbouring countries, idle ports, retrenchment of workers, unemployment and general loss of revenue to government.’’

He also talked about revenue leakages through under-declaration in the ports and attributed this to the sack of a section of dockworkers, namely: tally clerks and on-board security men.

Emmanuel said the position of the union was that the sacked tally clerks and on-board security men should be recalled.

According to him, when the union members were in charge of tallying cargoes and securing the cargoes on board ships, there were no cases of loss of revenue.

Apart from revenue leakages, occasioned by the sack, he said that recalling the tally clerks and on-board security men would reduce the rate of unemployment in the sector.

Emmanuel also drew the attention of government to negative effect of the policy on importation of vehicles into the country, saying that the policy had also led to job cuts in the maritime industry.

According to him, the new duty regime for vehicles introduced since 2014 and the implication of the new rate of exchange for duty calculation, have made the importation of cars and trucks in Nigeria far too expensive..

“In the last two years, the number of vehicles arriving Nigeria has shrunk by almost two third, while the volume of cars smuggled through Cotonou continue to rise unabated, ‘’ he said.

Emmanuel called for a review of the auto policy, even as it called for a downward review of the duty payable on imported vehicles.

On the state of the roads leading to the seaports, he demanded for immediate expansion and repair of these roads, to enable the ports handle more cargo traffic.