Maritime Labour and Trade Union
Unity is our Strength : Comrade Owolabi Speaks on Justice, Safety and Welfare of Workers on Lagos Waterways
Unity is our Strength : Comrade Owolabi Speaks on Justice, Safety and Welfare of Workers on Lagos Waterways
An Exclusive Interview with Comrade Omotayo Patrick Owolabi, Chairman, Lagos Commercial Private Boat District, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria
By Oghenewoke Osaweren | Labour and trade Union Correspondent | March 2026
Sequel to Comrade Larry’s Interview — in which he highlighted the need for cooperation between workers and boat owners — we turn our attention to the man at the helm of the district, the newly elected chairman. Comrade Omotayo Patrick Owolabi is an experienced union leader whose voice carries the weight of thousands of boat workers whose daily lives and livelihoods play out on the waterways of Lagos. In this exclusive interview, he speaks candidly about the challenges face by members of the union, the future of boat workers in Nigeria, and his expectation of a safer, more just waterway sector.
Q: Comrade Chairman, you now lead the Lagos Commercial Private Boat District after years in the movement. What does this chairmanship mean to you personally, and to the thousands of workers who look to you for direction?
A: Thank you for this opportunity to speak directly to our members and to the public. This chairmanship is not a trophy — it is a burden I carry with both hands. When I look at the faces of our boat workers at the jetties of Marina, Apapa, Ikorodu, Badore,Epe and Badagry , I see people who wake up before dawn, who risk their lives on the waterways every single day, and who go home at night unsure of tomorrow. That responsibility humbles me. I did not take this seat to enrich myself. I took it because someone has to stand in the gap. Our members deserve a chairman who will lose sleep over their welfare, and I intend to be that man.
Q: Your colleague Comrade Larry recently spoke of the need for workers and boat owners to learn to work together. As chairman of this district, how do you view that relationship between labour and capital on the Lagos waterways?
A: Comrade Larry spoke well, and I align fully with his position. The waterways of Lagos are not owned by any single man — they belong to the people, to commerce, to the history of this city. Boat owners bring capital and vessels (boats); our members bring skill, discipline, and their very lives. Neither can function without the other. But let me be frank, cooperation does not mean submission. It does not mean that workers should accept exploitation in the name of peace. True partnership requires mutual respect, fair wages, and decent working conditions. When boat owners fulfil their obligations to our members, they will find in us the most dedicated and loyal workforce in this country. We want harmony — but it must be a harmony built on justice.
Q: Safety remains a persistent concern on Lagos waterways. Overloading, poorly maintained vessels, lack of life jackets — these issues have claimed many lives. What concrete steps is the union taking to address this?
A: The deaths on our waterways are sometimes not by accidents — they are consequences of neglect. When a boat capsizes because it was overloaded beyond capacity that is not an act of God. That is the result of greed, poor regulation, and the absence of enforceable safety standards. Our union has been at the forefront of demanding that every boat owner who intends to operate his or her boat on the waterways of Lagos should provide in the boat, certified standard life jackets for every passenger. We have engaged the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA and the Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA. We are pushing for regular safety audits and for operators who violate safety standards to face real consequences. I am also calling on the Federal Government to take maritime safety on inland waterways as seriously as they take aviation safety. A life lost on the Lagos lagoon is no less precious than a life lost on an aeroplane that is why we are also advocating that the boat ferry transportation to be included in the disbursement of the CVFF fund for boat operators to access and acquire standard modern boats on a prescribed lenient condition by the government, it will go a long way to enhance safety on our waterways because the rickety boats will be removed significantly from the waterways. I will use this media engagement opportunity to commend the effort of NIWA Lagos Area Manager in the person of Engr Sarat Braimah for providing a platform for the training and licensing of some boat captain (workers) recently in Lagos State for free. This will certainly enhance their capability for safety on the waterways. We in the Union really appreciate that act from the NIWA Area Manager. I will also commend the efforts of LASWA General Manager in the person of Mr Damilola Emmanuel who always engage the union over Lagos state waterways development projects. I commend these two government agencies for their swift respond to boat emergencies on Lagos inland waterways by promptly deploying rescue teams to scenes of boat mishaps
Q: Many boat workers lack basic welfare coverage — no health insurance, no pension, and no formal contracts with their employers. How is the union fighting for these workers’ rights?
A: This is one of the most urgent battles we are fighting. The majority of our members exist in a shadow economy — no paper, no protection. Boat captains, engine operators, ticketing staff, jetty hands — they work for years and have nothing to show for it when they are injured or when they grow old. We have been in dialogue with the relevant authorities and with the Boat Owners Associations to establish a contributory welfare scheme. We want every worker in this district registered, documented, and covered. Under my chairmanship, we have begun a registration drive across all our terminals. We are building a database of our members so that we can negotiate from a position of knowledge and strength. No employer should be able to tell us there are no workers when we come to the table — we will bring the names, the numbers, and the facts. The rights, privileges, security, safety and welfare of the boat workers on our waterways needs to be discussed with relevant stakeholders including government agencies.
Q: Irregular and withheld wages remain a common complaint. How does the union intervene when members report that their earnings have been seized or delayed?
A: This is unacceptable, and we treat every such report with the seriousness it deserves. Our district has a grievance management procedure. When a member reports wage non payment — we first engage the boat owner directly. We give them an opportunity to correct the wrong. If they refuse or delay, we escalate the issue. We are not afraid to mobilize our members, and boat owners know that a jetty without workers is a jetty with no business. But I want to be clear: we do not use industrial action as a first resort. We are responsible leaders. We pursue dialogue, then arbitration, and only when all else fails to correct the situation that we exercise our legitimate rights as organized labour. What we will never do is remain silent while our people are cheated.
Q: The Lagos waterway is being described as an underutilized economic asset. Do you see the commercial boat sector playing a bigger role in Lagos transportation, and what must happen for that potential to be realized?
A: Lagos state has the most extensive network of inland waterway in West Africa. The road congestion in this city — the gridlock that steals hours from people’s lives every day — can be significantly relieved by a modern, efficient waterway transport system. But to get there, we need investment. We need modern ferry boats, proper terminals with amenities, trained and certified boat workers, and a serious regulatory framework. Our members are ready. They have the experience and the commitment. What is needed is political will from government and responsible investment from the private sector. There is the multi-billion naira aqua tourism economy potentials of Lagos state that remains grossly untapped. I commend the Lagos state Government under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu on the state’s efforts to invite investors to the Lagos waterways through projects such as the OMI-BUS project and OMI-EKO electric ferries project. I am convinced that when all stakeholders come together with organized labour at the table, we can transform the Lagos waterways.
Q: There are concerns about the proliferation of unregistered boats and unlicensed operators. How does this affect your members, and what is the union’s position on regulation?
A: Unregistered boats and unlicensed operators are a threat to everyone — to passengers, to legitimate operators, and most importantly to our members who follow the rules. When a cowboy operator undercuts proper fares, endangers passengers, and try to escape consequences, it creates pressure on legitimate operators to cut corners too. It undermines the standards we have fought hard to establish. The union fully supports a robust licensing and registration regime — provided it is applied fairly and transparently, and not used as an instrument of harassment or extortion by officials. We want regulation that protects workers and passengers alike, and we want to be part of the process. The union must have a seat at the table when regulations are being designed, not just when we are being told to comply.
Q: What message do you have for boat owners who remain hostile to union activities and who attempt to intimidate workers seeking to exercise their rights?
A: My message is simple and I will say it plainly: the era of treating boat workers with disdain is over. This is the 21st century. Our members have rights enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and in the Nigeria Labour Act. Any boat owner who victimizes a worker for joining this union, for attending union meetings, or for speaking up about unsafe conditions will face the full weight of our legal and industrial response. We document everything. We have members who are now learning their basic rights these days, and we have solidarity across districts. I also want to say to those boat owners who have embraced responsible partnership with the union — we see you, we appreciate you, and we will work with you to build a prosperous and sustainable waterway sector. It does not have to be adversarial. We choose partnership.
Q: As you look ahead, what is your primary vision for the Lagos Commercial Private Boat District under your chairmanship?
A: My vision is a district where every single member can go to work with dignity and return home safely. I want a district where boat workers are not ashamed to say what they do — where being a waterway worker is a respected profession with a career structure, training pathways, fair pay, and social protection. I want to build the institutional capacity of this district so that long after I am gone, the structure remains to serve the next generation of workers. We are putting in place mentorship programmes, working with NGO’s, technical institutions on certification courses for boat operators and engineers, and establishing channels of continuous dialogue with government agencies and employers. We are into talks with an NGO called SWAAADO over this same training, licensing and waterways safety sensitization. This is not about Owolabi. This is about the movement.
Q: Finally, Comrade Chairman, what is your direct message to the workers of the Lagos Commercial Private Boat District — the men and women on the waterways every day?
A: To our members on the waterways— the boat captains and deckhand who navigate the lagoon everyday, the engine operators who keep those vessels(boats) moving, the ticketing staff who face the crowds at the jetties, the cleaners and the loaders and every hand that makes this industry work — I say to you: you are seen. You are not invisible. Your sacrifices are not in vain. This union belongs to you, not to me. I am your servant in this office. Stay united, know your basic rights, participate in the union activities, and trust the process we are building together. The road is not easy, but we are walking it together to success. No condition is permanent. A better day is coming for the Lagos waterways and to all our members with the support from our great Union, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria-MWUN under the able and charismatic leadership of our President General Comrade Francis Bunu,we will build a better future with our own hands for the waterways workers. Thank you.
Comrade Omotayo Patrick Owolabi is the Chairman of the Lagos Commercial Private Boat District of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN). This interview was conducted on March 16 2026 as part of an ongoing leadership interview series with key figures in Nigeria’s waterway transport sector.
NIMASA Trains 2,459 Cadets, Secures 150% Wage Rise for Nigerian Seafarers — Mobereola
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has declared seafarer welfare, safety and professional development as central priorities of its current agenda, with the agency’s Director-General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, disclosing landmark gains in cadet training and earnings improvement as Nigeria marked the 2026 Day of the Seafarer in Lagos on Thursday.
Addressing maritime stakeholders at the event, Mobereola announced that NIMASA has trained 2,459 Nigerian cadets under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), with a significant number still undergoing training at maritime institutions across the world. The disclosure underlines the agency’s sustained push to build a pipeline of internationally competitive Nigerian seafarers capable of serving on vessels in the global merchant fleet.
The NIMASA chief also revealed a major breakthrough on seafarer remuneration. The National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC), he said, has formally adopted the wage scale endorsed by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) into the conditions of service for Nigerian seafarers — producing a wage increase of more than 150 per cent. The development marks one of the most consequential improvements in Nigerian seafarer earnings in recent memory and directly aligns domestic conditions with internationally recognised standards.
Speaking to the 2026 theme, “Carrying World Trade, Carrying the Risk,” Mobereola underscored the outsized contribution of seafarers to global commerce, noting that more than 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 per cent by value moves by sea, sustained by approximately two million seafarers manning the world’s merchant fleet. He stressed that beyond cargo movement, seafarers contend daily with unpredictable weather, security threats, geopolitical instability and prolonged family separation — risks that rarely receive sufficient public acknowledgement.
“Today, we stand in solidarity with the global maritime community to pay tribute to an extraordinary cadre of professionals whose dedication, courage and resilience form the bedrock of international trade and global prosperity,” he stated.
Mobereola said NIMASA’s commitment to seafarers goes beyond regulatory duty, framing it as both a moral obligation and a strategic investment in the sector’s long-term resilience. He pointed to ongoing work on Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 compliance as a mechanism for guaranteeing decent working conditions, alongside continued investment in certification and sea-time opportunities. He also called for broader collaboration across governments, maritime administrations, shipowners, training institutions and labour unions to build a maritime ecosystem that puts safety, dignity and professional excellence at its core.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, pledged the National Assembly’s continued legislative backing for policies aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s maritime sector and improving seafarer welfare. The senator stressed the need for expanded investment in maritime education, certification and professional development to sharpen the competitiveness of Nigerian seafarers in the international labour market.
The event brought together maritime regulators, industry operators, labour representatives and seafarers to mark the occasion.
Nigeria Watch
Thursday’s Day of the Seafarer celebrations carried a weight beyond ceremony. The twin announcements from NIMASA — 2,459 cadets in the NSDP pipeline and a 150 per cent wage increase secured through the NJIC’s adoption of ITF/ILO wage scales — represent concrete, measurable progress on two of the most persistent pressure points in Nigerian seafarer development: the quantity of trained personnel entering the workforce and the quality of conditions awaiting them.
The wage development deserves particular attention. For years, Nigerian seafarers working on vessels governed by ITF-negotiated collective bargaining agreements have operated under conditions where the gap between international wage benchmarks and actual domestic pay structures created both financial hardship and reputational friction for Nigeria’s maritime labour market. The formal adoption of the ITF/ILO scale into NJIC conditions of service is a structural correction, not merely a gesture — and it comes at a moment when the Strait of Hormuz crisis has dramatically highlighted the risk premium attached to seafaring, reinforcing the moral and commercial case for competitive pay.
For NIMASA, the NSDP remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s long-term seafarer supply strategy, and the 2,459 figure is a credible indicator of scale. However, the programme’s ultimate value will be measured not by enrolment numbers but by the rate at which trained cadets complete sea-time placements, obtain STCW certifications and gain employment on international vessels. The persistent challenge of securing sufficient shipboard berths for Nigerian cadets — particularly on vessels operated by foreign shipowners with no particular obligation to take Nigerian trainees — remains an area where NIMASA’s advocacy with the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and with international shipping organisations needs sustained attention.
Senator Eshinlokun-Sanni’s assurances of legislative support are timely. The National Assembly’s role in providing the fiscal and regulatory architecture for seafarer development — through the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, through port concession frameworks that incentivise indigenous vessel ownership and through oversight of NIMASA’s budget — is consequential and often underappreciated in public discourse. That a Senate committee chair chose to appear at a seafarers’ day event and commit to specific legislative priorities is a positive signal, though stakeholders will watch for legislative follow-through on maritime education funding and MLC implementation in the months ahead.
Nigeria’s blue economy ambitions cannot be realised without a competitive, well-paid and professionally respected seafarer workforce. Thursday’s celebrations offered evidence that the building blocks are being assembled — slowly, but with increasing intentionality.
Waterways News | www.waterwaysnews.ng
Editor's Choice
Adeyanju Sounds Alarm Over Dying, Impoverished Retired Seafarers as Pension Backlog Festers
Adeyanju Sounds Alarm Over Dying, Impoverished Retired Seafarers as Pension Backlog Festers
By Emetena Ikuku | Waterways News
Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and former President-General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), has raised a fresh and urgent alarm over the prolonged failure to pay pension benefits and outstanding entitlements owed to retired Nigerian seafarers, warning that the delay has become a matter of life and death.
Speaking on the occasion of the 2026 Day of the Seafarer, Adeyanju said that many of the beneficiaries who participated in a verification exercise conducted at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) quarters in Bode Thomas, Lagos — nearly four years ago, under his own tenure as MWUN President-General — have since died waiting for their money. Others, he said, are gravely ill and incapacitated, while survivors continue to endure conditions of abject poverty. He made an impassioned appeal to the federal government to honour its obligations without further delay, stressing the moral imperative of restoring dignity to men and women who dedicated their working lives to serving the nation at sea.
Adeyanju used the occasion to acknowledge the broader global context in which this year’s seafarer commemoration falls. Aligning his remarks with the International Maritime Organisation’s 2026 theme — “Carrying World Trade. Carrying The Risks” — he noted that this year has proven exceptionally dangerous for seafarers, with armed conflicts, particularly those disrupting the Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor, exposing mariners to unprecedented hazards. He praised their courage and continued commitment to keeping global trade moving despite those elevated risks.
On domestic maritime policy, Adeyanju commended the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy for ongoing port transformation efforts, but called for the reinstatement of onboard gangway men on berthed vessels at Nigerian ports. He described gangway men as the “eagle eyes” guarding ships at quay aprons, playing a critical role in deterring theft and economic sabotage — a function he said cannot be allowed to lapse.
He also turned his attention to the Nigerian Maritime Academy, Oron, which he characterised as “a vehicle without an engine,” expressing deep concern that graduates are leaving the institution without proper certification and with little or no access to sea time — the practical shipboard experience essential for career progression under international standards. He called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to intervene decisively to ensure that MAN Oron graduates are fully certificated and employment-ready upon completion of their programmes.
Adeyanju concluded his remarks by acknowledging the resilience of maritime employers and practitioners navigating difficult operating conditions, and expressing cautious optimism for the sector’s future.
NIGERIA WATCH
Analysis and commentary for Nigerian maritime stakeholders
Adeyanju’s intervention on Day of the Seafarer 2026 lands with uncomfortable force precisely because it implicates the state in an avoidable human catastrophe. The verification exercise at Bode Thomas was not a spontaneous event — it was a structured, government-sanctioned process designed to identify and clear outstanding pension obligations. That nearly four years have elapsed since that exercise, with beneficiaries dying and deteriorating in the interim, reflects a systemic failure that sits well beyond administrative inconvenience.
The unresolved pension crisis must be situated within Nigeria’s wider Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) compliance obligations. NIMASA has in recent months invested considerable energy in positioning Nigeria as an MLC-compliant flag and port State, including through its Malta ship registry partnership and its formal inspections of foreign-flagged vessels calling at Nigerian ports. Yet the MLC’s core premise is the protection of seafarers’ welfare — including their entitlements upon retirement. A Nigeria that enforces MLC standards on visiting ships while allowing its own retired mariners to die in penury sends a deeply contradictory signal to the international maritime community.
The MAN Oron challenge is equally symptomatic. Nigeria has long articulated ambitions to grow its domestic seafarer base and reduce dependence on foreign crew — ambitions embedded in the Cabotage regime and the CVFF framework. But those ambitions are hollow if the country’s premier maritime training institution produces graduates who cannot obtain internationally recognised STCW certification or accumulate the sea time required for career advancement. NIMASA’s mandate under the Merchant Shipping Act explicitly includes oversight of maritime training standards; the agency cannot credibly claim to be developing Nigeria’s seafarer pipeline while Oron’s certification bottleneck persists.
Adeyanju’s call to reinstate gangway men touches on a quieter but commercially significant issue. Port security and cargo integrity are areas where Nigeria’s port operators, particularly terminal concessionaires at Apapa and Tin Can Island, have long flagged concerns about losses at berth. Gangway supervision is a low-cost, high-impact control measure; its erosion should concern NPA, the port terminals, and cargo owners alike.
What this Day of the Seafarer statement ultimately demands is not sentiment but settlement — of pension arrears, of certification barriers, of security gaps. The federal government and the relevant agencies have the frameworks, the mandates, and in several instances the prior commitments. What has been missing is execution.
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
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