NNSL retirees demand pensions 31 years after liquidation

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About 60 aged seafarers under the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria have decried unpaid pensions 31 years after the Nigerian National Shipping Line went into extinction.

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The MWUN, in a statement on Monday by its Head of Media, John Ikemefuna, explained that the union seafarers had gone through the expected and required rigorous verification exercise three years ago.

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“It’s on record that the union seafarers have gone through the expected and required rigorous verification exercise three years ago at the Nigerian Ports Authority Sports Centre at Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos, under the auspices of the erstwhile President-General of MWUN, Adewale Adeyanju, and his executives, under the guidance of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency,” Ikemefuna said.

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According to him, it would also be recalled that before the verification exercise, many of these aged seafarers had lost their lives, some were incapacitated, while many were still hospitalised over medical issues and various ailments; “many cannot even afford their medical bills.”

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Ikemefuna mentioned that the union had since done everything possible through NIMASA to see that the pensioners get their pensions paid, “but to no avail; rather, the sad situation is that the old sailors have been subjected to self-medication, thus making their conditions mind-boggling, while their plights seem hopeless, given the frustration they live with each day that passes by.”

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He stressed that the union keeps pressing hard to ease their plights; the senior citizens are, however, seemingly looking as if all hopes have been dashed in all ramifications.

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Ikemefuna emphasised that the incumbent President-General of the Union, Francis Bunu, having stepped into the knotty issue of the pensioners, has made several sacrifices to the sailors since taking over the leadership of the union.

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He noted that all is not well with the senior citizens, who have served Nigeria diligently, only to be met with this kind of hardship. “A diligent sailor deserves his wages and benefits after several years of sailing and meritorious service to the nation,” Ikemefuna stressed.

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He maintained that the current MWUN administration, led by Bunu, has taken the matter with utmost concern and diligence, leaving no stone unturned since taking over from his predecessor, Adeyanju, “whose frantic efforts on this matter cannot be overemphasised, making sure that the aged seafarers get their monies and entitlements paid.”

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He stated that since assuming office as the PG of MWUN, Bunu has never abandoned the course of the aged seafarers, assuring them that the government is not unaware of their plights and suffering.

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“In view of the above, the union is also appealing to the Federal Government to please ease the pains of the old sailors, expedite action on the payment so that these aged sailors could enjoy the fruits of their labour, as very many of them are already dead, while many have become blind, some too are already suffering from stroke, many have since remained homeless; dejected, hopeless and are pitifully living from hand to mouth; a situation that is uncomfortable, unpalatable and uncalled for, having served their fatherland,” he added.

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He submitted that life after retirement is worth living and not to be in reverse gear as in the case of these aged seafarers, whose plights have become a huge burden.

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An affected pensioner, who doesn’t want his name in print, said, “Our counterparts in the defunct Nigeria Airways and Nigeria Electricity Power Authority have since been paid. I don’t know why the NNSL remains a tug of war.”

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Speaking on the issue, the MWUN, Francis Bunu, appealed to the Federal Government and to all the authorities concerned to endeavour to put lasting smiles on the faces of these old sailors.

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In April 2025, The PUNCH reported that the President-General of the MWUN, Francis Bunu, said that the payment process for retired seafarers was 85 per cent completed.

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This is even as no fewer than 60 retired seafarers from the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line had appealed to the leadership of the MWUN to engage the Federal Government to ensure the speedy payment of their pensions.

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According to a statement, Bunu said this while addressing the retirees in Apapa, Lagos.

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