The Rivers State chapter of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), says the union is yet  to accept the Federal Government’s claims on economic recession  following the astronomical high cost of commodities in the market.
The state Chairman of the Union, Comrade Jonah Jumbo, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide  in Port Harcourt, recently.
He noted that his union could not accept the claims of the Federal Government on the issue of reduction as such is yet to be experienced by the people.
Jumbo pointed out that the price of dollar is still higher than that of naira, while the cost of the crude oil is yet to appreciate.
The union leader said until there is clear cut in reduction of prices of commodities, the government’s claims cannot hold water.
Concerning the effect of the recession on the maritime industry, he said, the recession affected the work force  in the industry that dues payment became a difficult task for the employers.
According to him, the situation reduced the work force upto 40 per cent hinting that few vessels now aberthed in some ports in the country.
He further explained that handful of investors have since left the shores of the country due to the decline in the economy.
The MWUN boss said that the Federal Government must make deliberate efforts to bring back the investors as a prove of their claims of the country out of recession.
He also suggested job creation as panacea to the economic quagmire, while regretting the high level of redundancy in the industry.
Still on way out, he called on the federal government to do all within its reach to increase the price of crude oil in the open market.
However, he admonished Nigerians on the need to be prayerful, until the economy bounces back to its normal form.