Aged seafarers of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) have appealed to the Federal Government to urgently pay their outstanding pensions and other entitlements, 31 years after the national carrier ceased operations.
Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), which has been championing the cause of the retired seamen, said they were yet to receive their entitlements despite undergoing several verification exercises in Lagos about three years ago, with the guidance of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

MWUN, in a statement signed by its Head of Media, John Ikemefuna, said the verification was intended to establish the identities and claims of the former NNSL workers and to facilitate the payment of their long-outstanding entitlements.
The union, however, lamented that despite the exercise and several interventions through NIMASA, the affected seafarers were still waiting for their pensions and other benefits.

The union said the development had left many of the elderly former sailors struggling to survive, with some battling severe hardship, blindness, stroke, confinement to wheelchairs, and other ailments, unable to afford basic medical treatment.
MWUN added that several of the retired seafarers had also died, while others were homeless and dependent on others for their daily needs.
The union said the situation was particularly distressing and unacceptable for people who had rendered years of service to the country’s maritime sector.

MWUN said its current President-General, Francis Bunu, had since assumed responsibility for pursuing the matter with the relevant government authorities to ensure that the pensioners receive their unpaid entitlements.
Bunu said the aged seafarers frequently visit the union’s headquarters at Apapa, Lagos, where he personally receives them and provides updates on efforts to secure their entitlements.
He insisted it was unacceptable that Nigerians who had spent years serving aboard the country’s national shipping fleet should be subjected to hardship in old age after decades of service without receiving their pensions and other entitlements.

The MWUN President-General said the union had continued to engage the Federal Government, ministries, and other relevant authorities in Abuja to resolve the matter.
MWUN appealed to the government to expedite payment, stressing that retirement should offer former workers an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labour after years of service, rather than expose them to extreme hardship and uncertainty.

Bunu stressed that the union remained committed to ensuring that the retired NNSL seafarers received what was due to them.
Bunu further urged the government and all relevant agencies to resolve the decades-old issue and give the aged seafarers an opportunity to live their remaining years with dignity after retirement.
He added that the continued delay could further reduce the number of surviving beneficiaries eligible to receive the long-awaited payments.