The President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Francis Bunu, has said that the payment process for retired seafarers is 85 per cent completed.

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

According to a statement obtained by The PUNCH on Friday, Bunu stated this while addressing the retirees in Apapa, Lagos.

The appeal by the retired seafarers comes barely one year after a screening and verification exercise was carried out in Lagos for the aged seafarers who worked on board the defunct NNSL.

Speaking further, the MWUN President assured the retirees that the government would soon pay them.

“85 per cent of the payment process has been concluded, the Ministry of Finance will soon put smiles on the faces of the retired sailors,” Buna stated.

He maintained that some members of the aged seafarers would join national officers and branch executives to engage the finance minister on the issue.

The PG expressed satisfaction with the efforts of his predecessor in ensuring the success of the 2024 verification exercise.

He said the new leadership of MWUN is not resting on its laurels until payment or disbursement of the emoluments is made.

The President of the Seamen and Water Transport Branch of MWUN, Sunday Avoseh, disclosed that the union leadership has already commenced consultations on how to engage the Minister of Finance for immediate disbursement.

Avoseh explained to the senior citizens that a closed-door meeting was held to discuss the modalities of engaging the Minister of Finance.

He also assured the senior citizens that all entitlements and pensions will be paid very soon, but maintained that the union has played a significant role in ensuring payment.

Meanwhile, the retirees took turns to express their disappointment over the government’s lack of interest in disbursing the funds, despite due diligence having been completed in April 2024.

According to them, some aged seamen who served on the NNSL have recently passed away without reaping the fruits of their labor.

They further described the situation as unfortunate, “especially given the high hopes raised by government assurances of payment back in 2024.”

Findings have shown that over 22 aged seafarers have died due to ill health and lack of funds for medical treatment within the past two weeks.

It was also gathered that some of the aged seafarers present at the meeting are facing health challenges, with two individuals confirmed blind due to a lack of funds for optical treatment.

A cross-section of the seamen lamented that the government has neglected its earlier promises to disburse the funds to beneficiaries who are still alive.

They further called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to make the money available before the end of April, stressing that the payment is long overdue.

However, they also passed a vote of confidence ony the President General of MWUN, Francis Bunu, praising his wealth of experience in seafaring and welfare-related matters.

They stressed that with him as the leader of MWUN, the issues of aged seafarers will be addressed.

While congratulating Bunu on his new post as PG of MWUN, the senior citizens appealed for immediate intervention from the union, urging him as the front man to make a strong case on behalf of the seamen who have served the country.