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My interest is to ensure whoever succeeds me would not destroy the legacy we have built over the years– Adewale Adeyanju.

In 2017, Prince Adewale Adeyanju Waheed  was first elected as the President – General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and was returned unopposed in March 2021, the first ever PG to enjoy such rare privilege.
By March 2025, he would have completed 8 momentous years of effective leadership as the number one maritime worker in the Nigeria’s maritime industry.
Those years the stakeholders unanimously agreed heralded peace and  industrial harmony in the maritime industry.
Those years which stakeholders, in the years to come, will look back at with nostalgia as years that were clear departure from the tenures of his predecessors which were characterised by thuggery, violence, industrial unrest and blood shed.
On Monday January 6th, 2025, Prince Adeyanju, the outgoing and indefatigable PG, MWUN ,spoke to FUNSO OLOJO in his office where he revealed his unique  style of leadership that has endeared him to the leaders and the led.
He disclosed what he has done differently that has enthroned discipline in the union, peace and industrial harmony in the port industry.
He also spoke about his legacy of negotiations rather than confrontation which he prayed his successor preserves.
He however concluded that he has a strong succession plan that will ensure the emergence of who will consolidate on his achievements as the next President -General of the union.
It is a must read

 By March, 2025, you would have spent years as the President- General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN). 

Those years are generally regarded as peaceful marked by industrial harmony in the maritime industry which was a clear departure from years of thuggery and industrial crises that was the hallmark of tenure of your predecessors.
What did you do differently?
 If you have a father who trained you, you will be a good child and perform excellently on behalf of the father.
You know this industry is sensitive and peculiar and global in nature .
Over the years, I have worked with trusted and tested union leaders in the industry under whom I cut my teeth as a unionist.
I have worked with Chief Ogunleye who was the first President of the Dockworkers branch of the union.
He trained us in so many ways.
Also,if you have an employer who believes in management and unionism, it is better for you.
I am going to leave a vibrant union, a union that believes in negotiations, a union that believes in working with the management, protecting the interests of workers and not selling the rights of workers before the management.
We believe in open dialogue where you put all the options on the table so that we will be able to convince our members on the true position of things without any compromise or deceit.
Unlike in those days whenever elections were coming, there would be tension, thuggery and violence.
But not now. As you can see, three months to the elections, every where is peaceful. No gunshot, no thuggery.
That is the legacy of peace and tranquility we are leaving behind.
I have learnt the rope from the successive leadership of the union.
I was a defence minister under Irabor and  Tony Nted both the former PG of the union and now as the PG, I rose through the ranks.
Tony was the PG while I was the President of the Dockworkers branch . I was the Treasurer when Irabor emerged as PG in 2001.
Even, when Ukammuna was the President of Dockworkers before he eventually became the PG, I was an Operation manager in the Port.
This has put me in good stead  and given me enough experience to study the dynamics of the politics of the MWUN.
I have understood the complexity of the union and its members to be able to forge a synergy between the union and the employers that has now resulted to the industrial harmony we have now.
I didn’t just become PG by default.I came prepared for it.
These experiences really helped me to manage the union and restore sanity and order at the Ports.
I don’t believe in shutting down the port which is an essential part of the Nigeria’s economy, second only to oil and gas in terms of revenue and disrupting the activities of such important sector will hurt the economy.
Yes, strike is the weapon of any union leader but it should be the last resort when all negotiations failed.
Even at that, it has to be applied with wisdom.
In our own case, in order to avoid shutting down the port, we issue ultimatum which is a warning, a kind of awareness  for the employers, government and employees.
If they cannot meet the first ultimatum, we issue another one while negotiations continue.
By this method, you avoid  disruption of operations at the ports which is not healthy to the economy.
That is just part of the wisdom we applied that enthroned peace and industrial harmony we enjoy at the ports today.
Also, I have a vibrant executives who are from all our four branches such as NPA, Dockworkers, seafarers and Shipping branches.
They believed in my leadership style and keyed into my vision of negotiations and reconciliation to enthrone industrial harmony.
And as a leader, you must be disciplined, transparent, humble, approachable, proactive and sensitive to the welfare of members.
You must also run an interactive and open administration devoid of deceit and the one that inspires confidence in those you are leading.
Don’t disconnect with your workers, tell them the truth, don’t lie to them.
Those are part of the qualities they see in us that make them believed in our leadership which makes it easy to pursue our vision of peace and industrial harmony.
This has helped the system and it has also helped me.
I give God the glory.
The major cause of friction between the workers and management is the issue of welfare.
More often than not, negotiations break down and some union leaders resort to strike, especially when dealing with recalcitrant employers.
Have you met with such difficult employers in the cause of your negotiations for better welfare of your members?
They are many.
Then how do you bend them to agree to your terms of negotiations without any crisis?
It’s God. When you know your job and what you are doing.
There is no way you will not face those challenges but at the end of the day, you will still prevail.
But you give time for me to win, time for me to lose.
It is win win situation.
If you won today, I prepare for you next time.
So it helps. You can’t be rigid all the time by saying you must get what you want by all means. It is not done like that if you want peace.
I also believe that it is the employer who do not value his employees that deny them what rightfully belongs to them.
If one terminal is shut down today, it will affect the economy of the country.
So it’s give and take. You win some, you lose some.
Some of them are funny, they will tell you they will give you this but not this.
Ok, give me what you have and when next we are coming, you know we are coming to collect the remaining ones you didn’t give us the other time.
That was how we do it that makes us to achieve peace and industrial harmony.
How do you often calm down your members whenever their demands are not met or fully met.
A. We tell them the true situation of this, what we met and we ask for their opinions.
The workers too have their opinions, let them be part of the negotiations, let them make inputs. Let them speak out their mind.
I connect with my members, I engage them in open discussions at meetings held regularly to feel their pulse.
I will ask them if I make mistakes,they should tell me.
A leader should not be too big or bossy to be corrected.
I run an all inclusive administration that involves the participation of every one, from the leaders to the led.
 By March, this year, you would have put in 8 years of hard work when you build a union that is disciplined, peaceful and devoid of violence.
Now that you are leaving, are you not scared that a person who does not share your vision of peace and industrial harmony may emerge as the next PG of the union 
The person who handed over to me was not scared, so am not scared about who is likely to succeed me.
However, I should know who will succeed me.
I should be interested in who succeeds me. A good leader must have a good succession plan.
I must ensure that whoever wants to succeeds me would not destroy the legacy we have built over the years.
A legacy of peace, industrial harmony and sanity.
He must be the one who will not drag the ports into violence, who will not introduce tribalism, who will not introduce thuggery and someone who will not sell the birth rights of workers on the negotiation table.
The person should not be arrogant, he should be humble to the employers and members. He should be the one that will respect the constituted authority.
I should know who is coming.
I pray the person who succeeds me will perform.
We would give the necessary guidance to ensure the suitable candidate emerges as the next PG of the union.
 What happens if the person who possesses all these leadership qualities you want to succeeds you is not popular
How can I bring a person who is not popular?
I am popular, so the person too will be popular.
I will not impose anyone who is not popular or doesn’t know the job.
It is one thing to become PG , it is another thing to have the capacity to manage the four branches of the union.
The person must be ready to work because he is taking over from a workaholic.
We have transformed the union into a global brand, as the Vice president, global, executive board member , worldwide, Chairman, Africa, ITF and the Vice President of NLC.
We can beat our chest and say we have done well.
So whoever wants to succeeds me should possess the requisite capacity and competence to lead a global brand as Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria.
I won’t support any candidate again the others, we are all family members but we must ensure that the right person who will preserve the legacies we have built over the years emerges as the next PG.
Also, I shall be available to offer guidance and advice when necessary.
Am aware that some of them have indicated interest to become the next PG, they are all presentable but we know who is qualified to become the next PG, according to our constitution.
We learnt that eight people have come out to contest for the headship of the Union.
Who do you think is most suitable among them.
 It is only one of them who can become the next PG, the rest can go for Deputy PG, Treasurer and the like.
We have 12 elective offices in the union.
However, we are organized body.
We have our tradition of negotiations and compromise to ensure suitable candidates emerge from the for unions for all the 12 elective positions, including the PG.
But if anyone doesn’t want the special arrangement through which we negotiate the positions and decides to go to the poll, so be it.
We leave the person to go and test his popularity at the poll.
So there wouldn’t be imposition but the founding fathers of the union will speak.
 Do you have anointed candidate among those jostling to succeed you?
 We are unionists. We have our tradition as I have told you.
I can’t say whether I have anointed candidate or not but I must have a successor.
About the anointed, let God speak to me concerning that.
I am neutral as a father to study the situation.
But when it is time for us to sit down as a family, them we can speak.
As it is now, let them be playing their game.
But what is sacrosanct, what is my major concern is that whoever emerges as my successor should preserve my legacy which is the prayer of any leader.
I pray that whoever emerges will do better than me.
 What is your most challenging period during your tenure as the PG?
The most challenging time for me is when we had crisis with our former PG, Chief Ukammuna.
Several years when his tenure was cut short by government and Irabor took over, he still held that grudge against all his successors, including me to the extent that when I was to take over as the the PG in 2017, hell was let loose.
I believe it was his lieutenants who were manipulating himself to forment trouble.
For 23 years after he left unceremoniously, he was still bitter.
However, my happiest day was when he came to the Secretariat and we struck a truce. We were able to resolve the age- long rift and there was a reconciliation.
We have forgiven ourselves and become one large family.
 After the PG of MWUN, what next 
God takes care of that. He will direct me. He has always been my mentor.
Are you planning to become the President of the NLC now that you are the Vice President.
Let’s wait for His time
However, after my tenure as the PG, am still in the Port industry. I am a stakeholder and am still the VP of NLC, VP of ITF.
I only step down as PG of MWUN because my tenure expires in March.
I have an international office as the ITF VP, African Chairman, Executive member, ITF.
So am still around and busy.
Last Word
I want to thank the maritime press who have contributed to the success of my administration as the PG of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria.
I thank all other stakeholders for their support.
I want to say that our election doesn’t require external forces unlike the way it was before.
We have our mechanism we apply for the conference.
It is going to be a peaceful quadrennial Delegate conference devoid of crisis.
But we shall notify the government.
 Whoever wants to bring out what we have buried would be handed over to the authority to face the full wrath of the law.
Let me assure all the industry stakeholders that the elections will not bring crisis.
Whoever wants to bring trouble, we shall trouble them.
It is going to be a family election that will usher in the next executives that will build on our legacy of peace and industrial harmony.
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NRC grants Lagos Government permanent approval to operate Red Line rail services

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has granted final approval to the Lagos State Government to operate two of its rail tracks under the Track Sharing Agreement, paving the way for the full operation of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line project.

The LRMT Red Line commenced passenger operations on October 15, 2024, with morning and evening peak-hour services following its inauguration by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The permanent approval follows the temporary operating approval granted by the NRC in 2025 under the Track Sharing Agreement with the Lagos State Government.

Presenting the Permanent Operating Licence to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) on Tuesday, June 30th, 2026, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, said the approval confers on the Lagos State Government all the rights and obligations contained in the Track Sharing Agreement.

According to him, the licence also empowers the state to operate rail services in line with international best practices.

Opeifa described the milestone as a testament to the mutual trust, cooperation and shared vision that have continued to define the partnership between the NRC and the Lagos State Government.

“Beyond providing access to the tracks, our collaboration has also included the training and capacity development of the Red Line’s operational personnel, demonstrating the immense value of strong institutional partnerships,” he said.

He commended the Lagos State Government for its confidence in the NRC and its sustained commitment to the partnership.

“I also commend the Government for its remarkable investment in public transportation, particularly in the rail subsector, including the acquisition of adequate rolling stock to meet the growing mobility needs of Lagosians,” he added.

The NRC Managing Director noted that the development of modern rail infrastructure requires foresight, substantial capital investment and sustained political will, qualities he said the Lagos State Government has consistently demonstrated.

Opeifa also urged other state governments across the federation to invest in rail infrastructure and services to complement the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s railway network.

According to him, expanding rail transportation nationwide would ease congestion on highways, reduce logistics costs, improve passenger mobility, stimulate industrial and commercial activities, and accelerate national economic growth.

He stressed that rail transportation remains the backbone of efficient mass transit systems in major cities around the world.

“Continued investment in rail infrastructure is essential to providing safe, reliable, environmentally sustainable and high-capacity mobility for our growing population, while significantly reducing pressure on our road network,” he said.

Opeifa reaffirmed the NRC’s commitment to fostering productive partnerships that will transform Nigeria’s transport landscape.

“Together, we will continue to build an integrated, efficient, safe and sustainable railway system that serves the aspirations of all Nigerians,” he concluded.

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NPA unveils multi-agency task force to tackle resurgent port access gridlock

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has launched a multi-agency task force to combat the resurgence of traffic gridlock choking the Lagos port access roads, in a fresh push to restore seamless cargo evacuation and sustain recent gains in port efficiency.

The intervention followed a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, on June 23rd, 2026, where security agencies, freight forwarders, truck operators and representatives of the Lagos State Government agreed on coordinated measures to eliminate the bottlenecks disrupting cargo movement.

At the meeting, stakeholders identified illegal extortion points, overlapping responsibilities among security agencies and other operational distortions as major factors responsible for the renewed congestion along the port corridor.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemakara, said the Authority’s overriding priority is to guarantee the unhindered movement of cargo to and from the nation’s seaports.

According to him, the task force comprises the NPA, the Police, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO).

“The responsibility of the task force is to monitor truck movement on the port access roads on a regular basis, identify any disruption capable of causing gridlock and immediately resolve such challenges,” Onyemakara said.

He stressed that members of the task force would not establish checkpoints along the corridor but would maintain strategic presence at designated locations to ensure compliance without obstructing traffic.

To enhance rapid response, Onyemakara disclosed that the task force has created a dedicated WhatsApp platform through which members can instantly report infractions or emerging traffic issues for immediate intervention.

On the long-delayed renewal of the Electronic Truck Call-Up (ETO) system contract, the NPA spokesman said the Authority is reviewing the terms to ensure a more robust contractual framework before awarding a fresh agreement.

He explained that although the previous contract had expired, the ETO platform remains operational under the management of the Truck Transit Parks (TTP) pending completion of the procurement process.

He expressed confidence that the renewal would be concluded soon.

Reaffirming the Authority’s commitment to maintaining free-flowing port access roads, Onyemakara said efficient logistics remain central to the NPA’s drive to improve Nigeria’s port competitiveness and preserve its growing international reputation.

“We are more interested in the free flow of logistics into our ports than anyone else because it is in our own interest,” he said.

“If you look at the international recognition we are receiving, including the World Bank report, we are determined to sustain and even surpass the improvements already recorded in our port system.
“You can be assured that we remain fully committed to achieving the best possible performance from our ports.”

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Customs Steps Up Nationwide Green Tax Awareness Ahead of July 1 Rollout

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its nationwide sensitisation campaign ahead of the July 1, 2026 implementation of the Green Tax Surcharge and related fiscal adjustments, aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and encouraging the importation of cleaner vehicles.

The awareness campaign, held on Friday July 26th, 2026 at the Apapa Area Command, brought together Customs officers, licensed customs agents, freight forwarders, importers and other key stakeholders under the theme: “Implementation of the Green Tax Surcharge and Related Fiscal Adjustments.”

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Mohammed Babadende, said the exercise was designed to ensure stakeholders fully understand the policy before its implementation.

“This sensitisation is designed to ensure that every stakeholder clearly understands the policy before implementation. Our objective is to eliminate uncertainty, promote voluntary compliance and guarantee uniform application of the Green Tax Surcharge across all commands,” Babadende stated.

Delivering a technical presentation, the Comptroller in charge of Tariff, System Audit and Coordination, Murtala Muazu, explained that the Green Tax Surcharge is different from conventional fiscal measures and would therefore require a separate assessment process.

He disclosed that the Service has simplified implementation through the HS Code declaration platform to facilitate seamless compliance by importers and clearing agents.

Muazu also revealed that the Federal Government has reduced import levies on vehicles from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while import duty on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent to cushion the impact of the new environmental surcharge.

Area Controllers who participated in the sensitisation urged importers, licensed customs agents and the trading public to embrace the initiative, stressing that the reduction in import levies would lower the cost of doing business, promote legitimate trade and ultimately reduce transportation costs.

Stakeholders welcomed the policy but called for sustained public enlightenment to deepen understanding and ensure seamless compliance ahead of the July 1 commencement date.

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