Dockworkers on Sunday threatened to paralyse the Lagos ports after two of their colleagues were killed at Tin Can Island.
The deceased, Benjamin Omogun and Zakari Abdullahi, both from Kogi State, died while working at berth seven operated by Zifax.
According to Rotimi Edebor, the Secretary of berth 7/7A, the incident happened around 1.00 a.m. as the men worked on containers.
A crane on a ship was mistakenly lowered on them.
“They had been working there since 7.00 p.m. loading and discharging containers. When the spreader (crane) came down. It was swinging and had to be rested on the container first so as not to push the workers away. But unfortunately it was rested on the two workers”, he narrated.
One died instantly, the other was rushed to Lagoon Hospital at Liverpool road in Apapa but the workers could not pay the deposit demanded.
“The hospital asked us to deposit N500,000. There was no way we could get such money at that time. So from then till 3.00 a.m., there was no medical attention until he died.”
Edebor lamented that the victim would have survived if there were medical facilities around the port to take care of emergencies.
“Even Zifax, the owner of the berth, has no welfare package at all for the workers.”
Tony Nted, President of Dockworker Union of Nigeria, stressed that the workers are little better than slaves and that most of the private port operators are not competent to handle the job.
He said Zifax lacks all necessary equipment, as “it has no ambulance, no clinic. Nothing. That is why I say the workers are working like slaves. Port reform has brought hardship to the workers and the government should intervene.”
Nted warned that something had to be done, “otherwise the workers will abandon the port. They have been pushed to the wall and very soon they would react and react violently.”
He urged the government to pay them their severance packages so they could leave the port.
Other workers lamented their conditions of service and threatened that unless they were improved they would take their destiny into their own hands.
“We are suffering from ulcer, tuberculosis and other diseases because we are in no way protected. No helmet, no boot, no common hand gloves,” they said.
However, head of port police team, B.E. William, praised the workers for not resorting to violence.
Ports Authority Police Commissioner, Vincent Ojo, who left church to attend to the workers, asked them to maintain peace and reflect on the death of their colleagues.
He confirmed that they work under dangerous conditions.