Business
Maritime workers support government probe on intels
By Vanguard - By Alban Opara
Dec 19, 2005, 12:20

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria's (MWUN) President General, Comrade Onikoloase Irabor, has said the Federal Government probe panel on Integrated Logistics Services (INTELS) Limited should be allowed to do its work.

Irabor said this during an interview with Vanguard. He said: “If the INTELS is found wanting after the investigation, the company should be made to pack out of Nigeria. Government should go ahead to conduct the investigation in every area of INTELS operation.”

The union, however, frowned at the Federal Government approach to the investigation and expressed disappointment that a government that is preaching due process policy failed to follow due process in this matters.
"Due process should be followed generally and should not be selective. With due process, if company under the Nigerian law has entered into an agreement with government agency and later it was discovered that the organisation has erred, and they felt to investigate by setting up a panel to probe the it, one expects the government to allow the panel of investigators to conclude their work before any decision.”

The workers leader did not support the government action to set up the panel of inquiry on INTELS and at the same time suspend the company’s management, adding: "I feel that something is wrong with that decision.”
At INTELS, over 5,000 workers are members of Maritime Workers Union. The union President General said; “My union must speak the truth. A lot of things are involved. Anything that has to do with the organisation concerns the people and the workers.

“The government should not just wake up and suspend the company management without considering the welfare of Nigeria workers. We do not support criminality in Nigeria.

“We know also that the government has power to do everything. In this matter, what they did was very embarrassing by setting up a probe panel to investigate INTELS and at the same time suspend the management without allowing the panel to work first.”



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