Police Can’t Ban The Merchant Navy – Comrade John Okpono
By Tessy Orji
RovingNaija checks reveals that The face-off between the Nigerian Police and the Merchant Navy personnel appears not to have abated as the police have continued to
clamp down on the seafarers whom the police say have been banned by
the federal government.
Following this development, the leadership of the Association led by
Captain Bob Joseph Yousou has made consistent efforts to ensure
that members of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport
Senior Staff Association are given their due recognition especially in
Lagos and Ogun where they have been having running battles with the
police.
In an interview with RovingNaija, secretary general, Nigeria Merchant Navy
Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Comrade Aleakhue John Okpono said efforts
were made to communicate with the Commissioner of Police concerning
the harassment of their men by the police, but they have not received
any response from the police boss.
According to him, some of
his men were arrested October last year (2022) and even recently another
member was arrested by men of the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State; following which a letter was written to them identifying the suspect as their members
but the police still refused to release him.
“I don’t have a specific number because we get phone
calls often. Yesterday (Friday) we got a phone call that one of us was
arrested by men of the RRS, even after identifying himself as a member
of the merchant navy.
“We even sent to a letter of introduction on his
behalf and up till now the guy has not been released. They will arrest
some and extort money from them before they would release.
“The essence of this is to tell them that we are watching them with the
intimidation and harassment of our members. We need collaboration with
all stakeholders because this union is a big union,” he said.
The scribe noted that the ordeal of the Merchant Navy personnel’s started in
2010/2011 when the Police headquarters pronounced a blanket ban on
some organizations.
“Following the development, the union was able to reach out to a former
Inspector General of Police who assured us that we were not the ones
banned but another union with a similar name.
“But despite the
clarification by the police hierarchy, the same police have continued
to harass our members and just recently, another pronouncement
of ban was made on the union by the Ogun State Commissioner for Police
and this is a big embarrassment for the union,” he said.
Okpono disagreed with the suggestion that the police clamp down is as
a result of his members wearing their uniforms on the streets as
people may not be able to know the difference between a merchant navy
and the Nigerian navy.
He said the union cannot stop any seafarer from
wearing their uniform on the street and on board but urged members to be of good conduct always.
“You are allowed
to wear it, but don’t wear it to jump the bus, create problem or claim
officer and say you don’t want to pay because the person doing the
transport business, that’s his personal business.
“You can’t wear a
uniform and go to the canteen and say, “I am an officer, give me
food. You cannot go to a commercial driver that has a target and you
say you are not paying.
“At your will, you can wear your uniform when
you are going to the office or onshore, but on board a vessel there is
no time for uniform except when you are marking your birthday,
ceremonial or any of these national days maybe: Seafers Africa Day of
Sea or the World Day of Sea.
“All we are concerned is don’t abuse it.
We don’t have any issue with Nigerian Navy. Sometimes when problem
arises it’s because of the rating, but for the officers once they see
us they say we are one,” he stated.
The secretary general highlighted the importance of the merchant navy
in the growth of the maritime sector and the Nigerian economy.
According to him, more than 90 per cent of the volume of trade in the
world today is being carried out by these seafarers: “We call them
merchant navy or sailors. It’s their duty in the global world.
“We cannot be proscribed or banned by any
authority because it’s a discipline. We should let them know that in
the world trade today, more than 90 per cent of the volume of trade is
being carried out by these seafarers we call them merchant navy or
sailors. It’s their duty in the global world.
“It’s a common knowledge that there are people who impersonate and
fake this discipline. Placing ban and announcing that merchant navy
has been banned is not acceptable to us.
“Help us tell them that even
in the police; you still have fake Police, customs, Navy and Army. The
word fake is not synonymous to merchant navy, it’s also found even in
journalism.
“Even in the developed world there are fake people in some
of these professions. We want you to help us relate the message to the
ordinary Nigerians, the Army, Police and Air Force etc. Merchant navy
is sea going officers whether, ocean or the deep sea.
“We support total
clampdown on fake people. We are not saying the police should not do
their job, but they should do it diligently, go extra miles to do
investigation.
“If you claim that you are a merchant navy, where do you
belong, where do you work? Let the person identify himself; but for
those who are uniform men and they don’t have COC, they did not go to
any maritime institution, they don’t belong to us. When you apprehend
them and they don’t have bearing or any tangible evidence, let the law
take its course.
Okpono noted that it takes discipline and hard work to be merchant
navy personnel. For him, there is not much difference between the
operation of the Nigerian Navy and the merchant navy. During war time,
the merchant navy mans the ship because they understand the water
terrain, while the Nigerian Navy handles the gunnery.
‘’This is a profession, career and discipline. It’s one of those
disciplines’ that have global out reach. I cannot see any other that
is close to merchant navy. If you talk about law, when you leave
Nigeria, you are expected to do one or two induction courses and same
with medicine and other professions.
“A certified seaman with a COC,
first class, second class, whatever you call it with the vessel
capacity, when you go to any part of the world, it’s the same rank
they will give to you and that is merchant business for you.
“We want you (the media) to help us educate the Police and the general public that merchant
navy is the name given to those that work onboard vessels within
coastal and international waters. They cannot be proscribed or banned
by any authority because it’s a discipline.
“The coming into existence of the Nigerian Navy was as a result of the
challenges the merchant navy was having while they were doing their
legitimate business in the sea. That is why people will tell you that
the business of the navy is to protect our territorial waters from
external aggression. We do the business of the sea.
“During the Liberian war, our former President Alalade Mathew was the one on their
security boat. It’s the merchant personnel that pilot the security
boat.
“We are one, there is no difference between the merchant navy and
the Nigerian Navy, the Navy handles the gunnery.
“In the commercial
aspect of it, the merchant navy knows the sea more than the Nigerian
Navy because it’s there day to day activity’’, he concluded.
