… ex-MWUN PG recounts betrayal, persecution
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
Former Vice-President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and ex-President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Anthony Emmanuel Nted, has revealed how powerful forces within the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, allegedly conspired to frustrate him by taking away all his jobs.
Nted, who shared his life’s struggles and leadership journey at an event to mark his birthday and Thanksgiving on October 1, said despite facing persecution and betrayal, his faith, kindness, and resilience sustained him through the darkest moments of his career.
According to him: “In 2017, some enemies in NPA and NIMASA took away all my jobs because, as an outgoing President-General, I refused to hand over the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria to a particular person from an ethnic group. They did everything possible to frustrate me, frame me up, and even planted weapons in some of our union’s buses. But God exposed them, and we came out victorious. They thought I would cry or die, but my sufficiency is in the hands of God. I trust in God, and He has always delivered me from my enemies and their agents.
“What pained me most was that I expected the Union to fight over it, but the leadership did not. The Union’s leadership knew that if it had threatened or stopped work for even one day, those who took my jobs would have been forced to return them because the ports are very critical — the gateway to the nation’s economy. Just one hour of stoppage would have made them return the jobs. But the Union did not fight for it. It is the leadership that gives directives — ‘let us stop work for this cause.
“Everyone knew that I used the jobs to improve the lives of many workers. Many were trained both locally and abroad. Most of them are here today as living testimonies. We sent no fewer than 500 persons to Dubai and South Africa for training. We also went to the United States, where we attended the Maritime School of Technology, in addition to numerous seminars.
“Locally, we trained not less than 5,000 workers through workshops and seminars. One of the popular seminars was titled: Life After Work. In the Niger-Delta, we engaged several militant youths as part of efforts to assist the government in curbing violence and militancy among the youth and unemployed.
“We are still struggling and contributing our quota to nation-building. I hold no grudges against anyone because God Almighty is the ultimate judge.”
Expressing gratitude, Nted said: “That is why we are thankful to God for keeping us alive despite all the plots, gang-ups, and betrayals. I called my relatives, friends, and well-wishers to join me in thanking God today for a wonderful birthday, which coincides with Nigeria’s Independence anniversary.”
The post How forces in NPA, NIMASA tried to silence me by taking my jobs — Nted appeared first on Vanguard News.
