Merchant Navy visits Ikoyi Correctional Center, donates food stuff, toiletries, beverages to seafarers
Merchant Navy visits Ikoyi Correctional Center, donates food stuff, toiletries, beverages to seafarers
Segun Oladipupo
The leadership of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNOWTSSA) on Wednesday, doled out good stuffs, toiletries worth over N1 million to seafarers in Ikoyi Correctional Center
The gesture according to the President of the union, Comrade Bob Joseph Yousuo, is in commemoration of the Seafarers Day celebration which held on June 25
Emotional Yousuo said that the motive was borne out of the passion to reach out to the inmates who are either sentenced or awaiting trials
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) affiliate said that the items.would help provide succour for the inmates
“This week is seafarers week, yesterday was our day and we decided to use this day to remember our brothers who are suffering at the correction centre and to bring sone items for them to tell them that we love them and that we are still with them
“Fortunately, we were able to see some detained seafarers but few of them because there is restriction due to the cholera outbreak
“It is so said that a master who I know was one of those being detained and I felt like shedding tears d we will have to d make it an annual event.
“We must touch all the seafarers and also advise them that when they gain their freedom, they should join a body like Merchant Navy so that in case of situations like these, the union will take up their matters.
“I have decided that I will make it an annual event to visit seafarers in the prison to cater for them and show them that we still love them
On spreading the kind gestures to other African countries, Comrade Yousuo quipped that seafarers who are part of the union are the ones that can benefit from the union saying he cannot spend the money contributed by members for those who are not part of the union.
According to him, being an ITF helmsman in Africa does not guarantee him giving out check off dies paid by financial members in non financial members of the union
He therefore enjoined all seafarers to join the union to be able to benefit immensely from the body.
Some.of the items donated to the inmate seafarers include- Bags of rice, cartons of spaghetti, bags of garri, bags of salt, cartons of bottle water, cartons of noodles , palm oil, vegetable oil, and assort toiletries.
