Greenfield development ll end port congestions -Umar

Senior Staff Association (SSA) of theNigerian Ports Authority has warned that the port congestions would continue, until the National Port Authority (NPA) management ventures into the development of new ports.The SSA President, Comrade Jimoh Umar, made the observation in Ibadan, during the 21 Joint Consultative Conference (JCC) of Lagos Ports Areas, held at the DRovans Hotel, noting that adequate attention was yet to be paid on the development of new ports, and dry ports, popularly called greenfield development.We (NPA) have not done anything on the greenfield area since Tin Can Port was constructed. We want dry ports that will take the heat off the existing ports. When you do this, there wont be congestion in the ports; it will also create job opportunities for Nigerians he indicated, channeling his view to the the NPA Managing Director, Mr Omar Suleiman.He lauded the immediate past NPA Managing Director, Mallam Abdulsalam Mohammed, for showing genuine interest in workers welfare, and urged the current NPA boss to continue in his stead, noting that the recent promotion of about 1,000 staff was a step in the right direction.We want workers welfare to be uppermost in your programme and we will continue to affirm our promise to partner with you as we render our contributions to this management the union leader said, stressing the need for transparency and an open door policy.In his own contribution, Comrade S. A. Subair  tasked Suleimans  management to adopt measures which would improve workers welfare, especially in the areas of long service award, transfer allowances, provision of better canteen service and modern buses for members; as well as addressing the issues of stagnation via elongation of salary structures, in addition to reviewing of yearly productivity allowances.Meanwhile, the General Manager, Public Affairs, Chief Michael Kayode Ajayi, admonished the workers to focus on remaining proactive, warning that any reactive gestures from them could be counter-productive.Though he commended the JCC for their struggles on workers welfare, assuring them that all their demands would be conveyed to the new management, he urged them to see themselves as partners who must also put the overall interest of the organisation at heart, each time they consider to make new demands.
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