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Maritime Tragedy: Ex-NNSL Seafarers Continue To Die Awaiting 30-Years Unpaid Benefits
Maritime Tragedy: Ex-NNSL Seafarers Continue To Die Awaiting 30-Years Unpaid Benefits
By: Raymond Gold
Date: September 24, 2025
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Three decades after the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), a distressing pattern has emerged as former seafarers continue to die while awaiting their unpaid terminal benefits and pension entitlements from the federal government.
The maritime veterans, who dedicated their careers to Nigeria’s once-proud national carrier, are passing away in increasing numbers without receiving compensation promised to them since the shipping line’s collapse in 1995. Sources within the maritime community report that dozens of ex-NNSL workers have died in recent years, leaving their families to continue the fight for unpaid benefits.
Growing Death Toll Among Maritime Veterans
The demise of Adeyinka Awesu, a worker of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), in June 2022, has added to the number of deaths recorded among over 2,000 unpaid former workers of the company. Industry sources indicate that the death toll has continued to rise as aging seafarers succumb to various ailments while battling poverty and neglect.
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has repeatedly raised alarms about the deteriorating condition of these maritime veterans, many of whom are now in their 70s and 80s, having served the nation during NNSL’s operational years from 1959 to 1995.
Federal Government’s Unfulfilled Promises
Despite numerous assurances from successive administrations, the federal government has consistently failed to honor its obligations to the ex-NNSL workforce. The Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) was established by the Nigerian government in 1959. Despite heavy investment and subsidies, the state-owned company was unable to compete with European lines… Deeply indebted, the NNSL was liquidated in 1995 and all 21 of its vessels were sold.
The liquidation process, which should have included proper compensation for workers, has remained incomplete for thirty years, leaving thousands of former employees and their families in financial distress.
Inadequate Government Response
While the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has made some gestures toward addressing the crisis, the efforts remain woefully inadequate. NIMASA offered 100 million naira to offset the terminal benefits. However, if others like Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers Council and the rest also add funds, there will be enough to go round the expected beneficiaries.
Maritime industry analysts argue that the N100 million allocation is insufficient to address the scale of unpaid benefits owed to over 2,000 former workers and their beneficiaries.
Union’s Growing Frustration
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has expressed increasing frustration with the government’s handling of the situation. Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, are planning to jointly conduct a physical verification of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line, NNSL seafarers/next of kins.
However, union leaders argue that verification exercises are meaningless without concrete financial commitments to pay the outstanding entitlements.
Impact on New Maritime Initiatives
The unresolved NNSL debts have cast a shadow over the government’s plans to revive Nigeria’s national shipping capacity. Maritime workers have warned that any new national shipping line initiative will lack credibility as long as the government continues to renege on its obligations to former NNSL employees.
The ongoing crisis has also undermined confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector and raised questions about the government’s commitment to its maritime workforce.
Call for Immediate Action
Maritime stakeholders are calling for immediate intervention from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to address this humanitarian crisis. They argue that the continuous deaths of unpaid seafarers represent a moral stain on Nigeria’s maritime industry and a betrayal of workers who dedicated their lives to national service.
Industry observers note that with each passing day, more ex-NNSL seafarers die, taking with them institutional knowledge and leaving behind families still fighting for basic justice and compensation.
The federal government has yet to respond to the latest calls for immediate settlement of the outstanding entitlements, leaving the maritime community to wonder if the remaining survivors will ever receive their due compensation.
This report highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing former employees of the Nigerian National Shipping Line, thirty years after its liquidation. The situation underscores broader concerns about the treatment of retired workers in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
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