Dockworkers at the Rivers ports in Port Harcourt have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his "commitment to due process", leading to reopening the BUA Terminals, which was shut down last year by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The workers in their numbers took to the docks of Port Harcourt to thank key stakeholders for their timely intervention in the crisis between the BUA Ports and Terminals and the NPA which halted business activities at the terminal B.
Addressing the dockworkers at the rally, a National Trustee of the dockworkers' branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Waite Harry a praised the President for his commitment to due process, which ultimately led to the withdrawal of the notice of termination issued to BUA Ports & Terminals, in line with the concession agreement.
The government also directed both parties to resolve all outstanding issues in line with the concession agreement, discontinue the pending arbitration in London, and reopen the BUA terminals immediately.
Recall that in 2019, the NPA issued a notice of termination to BUA Ports and Terminals, concessionaires of the Rivers Ports Terminal B in a move that BUA said was illegal and ran contrary to the concession agreement.
The statement reads: "We are pleased to inform our stakeholders and the public that we have received official communication to the effect that;
"The notice of termination issued by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) sometime last year against our Rivers Ports-based BUA Ports & Terminals be withdrawn forthwith; The ongoing arbitration at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) be discontinued, and; The BUA terminals be reopened immediately for operations.
