Stakeholders Call for Cleaner, Safer Ports at 2026 Dockworkers Day Celebration

Sunday Ehigiator

Yesterday, maritime industry stakeholders gathered to advocate for cleaner, safer, and more sustainable port operations, while urging increased investment in workers’ welfare, training, and inclusion as Nigeria observed the 2026 Dockworkers Day celebration.

The event, organized by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in Apapa, Lagos, brought together labor leaders, government officials, terminal operators, maritime workers, and industry stakeholders under the theme “Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers.”

Speaking as chairman of the occasion, Immediate Past President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Vice President of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), Comrade (Prince) Dr. Adeyanju Adewale, emphasized that the global push for environmentally sustainable ports must not leave dockworkers behind.

He said, “The chosen theme, ‘Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers,’ is both timely and strategic. It reflects the realities of our changing world and the urgent need for the maritime industry to embrace environmental sustainability while safeguarding decent work for those who keep our ports running.”

In a goodwill message, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, described dockworkers as indispensable to the maritime value chain and global trade.

“I count it a great honor and a good fortune to be part of this noble cause of reiterating the irrefutable fact that dockworkers are the linchpin of the maritime value chain,” Dantsoho said.

He praised SCAN for institutionalizing the annual celebration and highlighted the strategic importance of dockworkers to economic development.

“With ports being the key facilitator of economic development, and dockworkers constituting the backbone of port operations, it is undoubtedly clear that their labor, which ensures the smooth functioning of international trade, is the key pillar of economies and communities worldwide,” he added.

According to him, the maritime transportation system would be unable to function effectively without dockworkers.

“Whether you want to refer to them as stevedores, longshoremen, dock hands, loaders or off‑loaders, without the essential functions performed by dockworkers, the maritime transportation system and the global trade it supports would come to a grinding halt,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, President of SCAN, Moses Ebosele, said the celebration was designed not only to honor dockworkers but also to stimulate discussions on the future of sustainable port operations.