The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Rivers State branch has berated the leadership of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA for not empowering riverine communities in the State.
MWUN also accused the agency of not securing the creeks and waterways across the riverine communities in the state.
Chairman, MWUN, Rivers State, Comrade Jonah Jumbo made the accusations during a telephone interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt. yesterday.
Jonah noted that NIMASA led by Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside has failed to train Rivers youths as a seafarers after many years in office.
He appealed to NIMASA to provide security for riverine communities to safeguard them from acts of piracy.
Comrade Jonah said communities like Bonny, Bille, Andoni, Kula and Bakana were terrorised by pirates without any effort by NIMASA to provide them security.
The union called on NIMASA to train youths as riverine communities on river marshals so as to secure the creeks and waterways across the state.
He also urged the agency to deploy gunboats and the Nigerian Navy to provide security in the affected riverine communities
“MWUN and other stakeholders want the agency to secure the waterways and train marshals to guide our creeks”
He lamented the rate at which fishermen, boat drivers and passengers were no longer safe along the waterways as pirates kidnapped them and carted away their property valued at millions of Naira.
The chairman insisted that inaugurating the marshals by NIMASA should be seen as a way of providing safety to the helpless rural communities.

Chinedu Wosu