Maritime Labour and Trade Union
MWUN PRESIDENT-GENERAL FRANCIS BUNU HONOURED WITH IMPACTFUL LEADERSHIP AWARD BY LANDMARK AFRICA MEDIA
MWUN PRESIDENT-GENERAL FRANCIS BUNU HONOURED WITH IMPACTFUL LEADERSHIP AWARD BY LANDMARK AFRICA MEDIA
The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) is proud to announce that its President-General, Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, has been conferred with a distinguished award by Noble Landmark Africa Media Magazine in celebration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.
The award, which recognises outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s socio-economic and political landscape, was presented to Comrade Bunu in acknowledgment of his remarkable footprints in the nation’s labour and maritime sectors within a relatively short tenure at the helm of the Union.
Noble Landmark Africa Media Magazine, in its citation, described Comrade Bunu as one of Nigeria’s foremost labour leaders, highlighting his uncommon blend of innovation, clarity of purpose, and exceptional leadership acumen that has not only transformed the Maritime Workers’ Union but has also resonated across the broader labour movement in the country.
The management of the publishing outfit particularly noted that Comrade Bunu’s rise from the grassroots of trade unionism speaks volumes about his character and commitment. Long before assuming the office of President-General, he had consistently demonstrated that labour activism is not defined by rhetoric or oratory, but by deliberate and impactful action — a quality that ultimately earned him the “Impactful Leadership Award.”
Though Comrade Bunu was unavoidably absent at the award presentation ceremony, he expressed heartfelt gratitude to the management of Noble Landmark Africa Media for recognising his contributions and finding him worthy of such an honour. His appreciation was conveyed through the Secretary-General of MWUN, Comrade Oniha Erazua, who received the plaque on his behalf.
The Union’s management equally commended the publishers for their commitment to objective and truth-driven reportage of maritime industry affairs, urging them to sustain the standard.
Comrade Kenedy Ikemefuna
Head of Media
Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN)
Maritime Labour and Trade Union
ITF Sounds Alarm at 100-Day Mark of Middle East War as Over 20,000 Seafarers Remain Stranded
ITF Sounds Alarm at 100-Day Mark of Middle East War as Over 20,000 Seafarers Remain Stranded
Global labour body demands ceasefire, crew protections and UN-led diplomacy as Persian Gulf shipping crisis deepens
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has used the 100-day milestone of the ongoing Middle East conflict to issue an urgent call for a ceasefire and the strengthening of protections for seafarers and other civilian transport workers caught in the crossfire of a war they had no part in starting.
The global maritime and transport labour federation, marking 100 days since US and Israeli strikes on Iran ignited the conflict on 28 February, described the ongoing hostilities as a war that “civilian transport workers did not start, cannot end and have paid for — with their lives, their health and their freedom.”
Seafarers Bearing the Cost of War
Transport workers across the global supply chain have been drawn into the violence. Airport staff were among the casualties of early attacks, while seafarers have faced a mounting wave of incidents at sea as hostilities spilled into some of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
Shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf — which together facilitate roughly a fifth of global oil trade — has come under repeated assault, with vessels struck, seized and crew members killed, injured or taken into detention.
Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) records 42 confirmed maritime incidents in the region between 1 March and 8 June, with at least 11 seafarers confirmed dead.
The human toll extends well beyond fatalities. The ITF says more than 20,000 seafarers are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to be repatriated or rotated off vessels, effectively held in limbo by a conflict over which they have no control. The federation has received more than 2,500 requests for assistance since hostilities escalated, and says it has so far managed to facilitate the return home of over 600 seafarers.
Labour Protections Under Threat
The ITF raised particular concern over what it described as the weaponisation of force majeure clauses by some employers, alleging that certain shipping companies have invoked the legal provision to extend crew contracts beyond agreed terms, restrict onboard communications and delay the repatriation of seafarers. The federation characterised this as an exploitation of wartime conditions to erode hard-won labour protections.
The ITF demanded full and uncompromised enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), the international instrument that underpins seafarers’ rights globally. It called specifically for guaranteed crew changes, timely wage payments, unimpeded access to communication with families and the assurance of safe passage home.
Demands for Action
Beyond welfare concerns, the ITF set out a series of demands directed at governments, shipowners and international institutions. These include an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all detained seafarers and vessels, and respect for civilian maritime infrastructure under the established principles of international humanitarian law.
On the question of humanitarian shipping corridors, the ITF insisted that any such arrangement must operate only on the basis of binding, verified security guarantees — not ad hoc assurances — and called on the United Nations to lead urgent diplomatic efforts toward a durable resolution under the UN Charter.
Nigeria Watch
The Persian Gulf crisis carries direct and measurable implications for Nigeria’s maritime and energy sectors.
Nigeria’s crude oil exports compete in the same Asian and European markets that rely heavily on Persian Gulf supply. As shipping disruptions push war risk insurance premiums higher and complicate tanker routing, upward pressure on freight costs for Nigerian crude cargoes is an indirect but real consequence — one that port operators, commodity traders and shipping lines operating in Nigerian waters will need to monitor.
For MWUN — the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria — and the broader community of Nigerian seafarers, the ITF’s intervention is also a reminder of the value of affiliation with global labour structures. With thousands of Nigerians serving aboard vessels in international trade, the protections embedded in the Maritime Labour Convention are not abstractions. They are practical safeguards that, as events in the Persian Gulf demonstrate, can be tested — and threatened — by geopolitical forces entirely outside a seafarer’s control.
NIMASA, as Nigeria’s flag state administration and the body responsible for the welfare of Nigerian seafarers on international voyages, has both a mandate and a reputational interest in monitoring repatriation cases involving Nigerians in the affected zone, and in affirming publicly its alignment with MLC enforcement.
The ITF’s call for UN-led diplomacy also resonates with Nigeria’s long-standing posture as a proponent of multilateralism in maritime governance — a position the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy would do well to echo in appropriate international forums.
Waterways News | Lagos
Blue Economy
Oyetola, NCS President, Ex-MWUN Boss to Headline SCAN Dockworkers’ Day on Green Ports, June 4
Oyetola, NCS President, Ex-MWUN Boss to Headline SCAN Dockworkers’ Day on Green Ports, June 4
Minister, labour leaders and industry chiefs converge on Apapa to confront sustainability transition and welfare gaps facing Nigeria’s port workforce
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News Correspondent
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola, Nigerian Chamber of Shipping President Aminu Umar, and former Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) President-General Adewale Adeyanju are among senior figures billed to participate in the 2026 Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) Dockworkers’ Day, scheduled for Wednesday, 4 June at Rockview Hotels, Apapa, Lagos.
The event carries the theme “Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers,” and is expected to drive conversations around environmentally responsible port operations, the adoption of efficiency-enhancing technologies, and the need to improve working conditions for dockworkers.
Umar is expected to deliver the keynote address, while Adeyanju — who also serves as Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress — will chair the occasion. Goodwill messages are expected from the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Director-General of NIMASA.
In a joint statement, SCAN President Moses Ebosele and Organising Committee Chairman Yusuf Babalola described the annual Dockworkers’ Day as a critical platform for recognising the contributions of dockworkers to the national economy, while also addressing emerging environmental and operational challenges facing Nigeria’s maritime sector.
SCAN noted that as the global maritime industry continues to evolve, there is an increasing need to equip dockworkers with the relevant skills and tools required to adapt to green port initiatives and the ongoing digital transformation of shipping operations.
Nigeria Watch
The 2026 SCAN Dockworkers’ Day arrives at a moment of sharpening tension within Nigeria’s port labour environment. The green ports agenda — however compelling in global terms — lands against a backdrop of unresolved welfare grievances on the waterfront, including the contested reinstatement of tally clerks, persistent gangway security gaps, and allegations of labour law violations by some terminal operators.
The presence of Adeyanju, now a senior NLC figure, alongside the NCS President and Minister Oyetola signals that this year’s event aspires to be more than ceremonial. Whether the forum produces actionable commitments on worker protections amid the sustainability transition — rather than consensus statements — will determine its lasting relevance to the dockworkers it claims to honour.
For the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the event also presents an opportunity to demonstrate that its green economy narrative is not decoupled from the labour question: that the shift to cleaner, more automated ports does not accelerate workforce marginalisation. Nigeria’s port unions have so far not signalled strong opposition to green port frameworks, but the absence of formal social dialogue structures at the port level means the transition remains largely untested as a labour-management challenge.
Waterways News will be at Rockview Hotels, Apapa on 4th of June.
CRFFN, MWUN Seal Strategic Alliance, Union Presses Federal Government on Workers’ Welfare
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News Correspondent
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) have taken a significant step toward deeper institutional collaboration, with both bodies pledging to work more closely on trade facilitation, professional standards in freight forwarding, and the welfare of workers across Nigeria’s maritime sector.
The commitment was made during a courtesy visit by members of the MWUN National Executive Council to CRFFN’s Lagos headquarters on Monday, where they met with the Council’s Registrar/CEO, Mr. Kingsley Igwe.
Igwe used the occasion to praise the leadership of MWUN President General, Comrade Francis Bunu, commending the union’s district officers who interface with CRFFN for their professionalism and cooperative spirit. He noted that the working relationship between both organisations had been productive and deserved to be formalised at a higher level.
MWUN PG, Comrade Francis Abi Bunu and CRFFN Registrar/CEO, Mr. Kingsley Igwe
The CRFFN chief gave an update on the Council’s reform drive over the past 18 months, disclosing that efforts to reposition freight forwarding practice along global standards had yielded concrete results. He said a digitalization initiative was underway to modernise freight forwarding operations and integrate the sector into the National Single Window platform. More than 500 freight forwarders have so far been verified under the programme, he said, while a formal licensing regime aligned with international best practices has also been introduced.
Igwe further disclosed that CRFFN had set up a complaint desk to handle disputes involving freight forwarders, shippers, terminal operators, and other supply chain stakeholders, and that work was ongoing to standardise freight forwarding charges so that importers can determine the true cost of cargo clearance and logistics services.
On capacity building, he stated that over 250 freight forwarders had received training in air cargo operations, with programmes targeting sea freight operations also in the pipeline. The Council has equally strengthened ties with strategic partners within and outside Nigeria to support broader maritime and logistics sector reforms, he added.
Igwe also acknowledged MWUN’s solidarity during the passing of former CRFFN Registrar, Barrister Samuel Nwakohu, describing it as a gesture that deepened the bond between both organisations.
In his response, Comrade Bunu described CRFFN as a key institution in Nigeria’s trade facilitation architecture and revenue generation for the Federal Government. He praised Igwe for the reforms being driven at the Council and assured him of MWUN’s unwavering backing. “As far as the union is concerned, we are by you. We will always stand by you,” Bunu said.
The union leader, however, used the forum to press for improved conditions for maritime workers, calling on the Federal Government to review salaries in line with present economic realities. He stressed that the workforce remains central to the country’s economic growth and that periodic wage reviews are non-negotiable.
Bunu also raised the matter of outstanding union dues owed to MWUN by CRFFN, urging management to ensure prompt remittance in line with labour laws.
Responding, Igwe assured the union that while deductions for 2025 had been consistent, steps were already being taken to clear obligations dating back to 2024. He equally pledged to escalate MWUN’s demands for salary increases and improved staff conditions of service to the relevant authorities, noting that discussions on a new conditions of service framework for CRFFN staff had already begun.
At the close of the meeting, Igwe formally conferred on MWUN the status of “strategic partner” of CRFFN — a symbolic but significant declaration that both parties hope will define the character of their engagement going forward.
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