… as students win awards of academic excellence
Stakeholders at the 7th Annual Maritime Students And Youth (AMSAY) conference held over the weekend charged Nigerian youths and students to tap into the entrepreneurship opportunities in the Maritime industry, especially in the current day scarcity of jobs in the nation.
The conference noted that Nigeria as the most populous country in Africa boasts of a massive youthful population with about 64 per cent below the age of 25 years, hence presenting a great opportunity for the country to harness and tap into the energy and creativity of the youths towards growing its maritime sector.
AMSAY conference also known as ‘A Day With Nigerian Maritime Students’, according to the convener, Mr. Sylvanus Obasi, is a capacity building platform that converge both the young and the old and engage them in topical discussions aimed at proffering solutions to critical and contemporary issues affecting the future of Nigerian maritime sector.
He explained that it is a platform that allows maritime students air their views on maritime matters, ask pertinent questions on issues bothering them and seek practical knowledge of the industry beyond the classroom teachings.
Themed ‘Towards Attaining Greener Shipping in Nigeria’, the conference opened the eyes of the over 150 maritime students and youths to the arrays of entrepreneurial opportunities in the maritime sector.
According to Obasi, “beyond the quest for jobs and job creations, we hope to prepare our youths to face the reality of their time.
“Gone are the days when you graduate and wait to be called for jobs! Gone are the days when making distinction and first class guarantees you automatic employment! Being a graduate and making the best result now requires you to think outside the box, to be creative and innovative, to be enterprising and to create jobs instead of seeking jobs.”
Head of Department, Shipping Management, Certified Institute of Shipping of Nigeria (CISN), Lagos, Mr. Okeke Okeke, in his paper presentation entitled ‘Entrepreneurial Opportunities In Maritime Sector For Nigerian Youths’, said a better maritime sector cannot be achieved without the optimal engagement of the youths in maritime transport activities.
“Nigerian youths cannot be left out of the redirecting of the maritime sector for optimal performance,” he said.
He noted that the blue economy has been identified as one of the best ways governments can diversify the economy of Nigeria from oil to boost its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) like the USA and China.
Okeke therefore, called on the youths as a matter of urgency and responsibilities to immediately tap into the maritime sector and take advantage of the huge entrepreneurial opportunities that are inherent in the multi-trillion dollar blue economy.
He highlighted that opportunities abound in Barge operation, with the gridlock in and out of the Apapa seaports making movement of cargoes through barges the order of the day; Boat operation because of gridlock in Lagos state; Certification training for freight forwarders; Establishment of maritime training institution; Sales and supply of maritime equipment; and Designing and supply of international maritime flags and pennants.
The opportunities also include Fishing trawler operation, Jetty operations; pilotage and towage/ tug boats operations; supply crew vessel operations; off-shore and off-dock stevedore services; supply of bunkers (petroleum products) and water; supply of uniform materials to maritime training institutions that have cadets; chandlers; insurance brokers; and freight forwarding, clearing and forwarding.
Okeke identified other entrepreneurial opportunities that abound in the maritime sector for Nigerian youths to take advantage of as dredging operations, diving support vessels, cables/pipe laying vessels, warehouse operators, truckers/transporters/haulage operations and truck holding bay services.
During the panel discussion, former NAGAFF Chairman, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) chapter, Doctor Segun Musa, advised the youths not to place wealth ahead of knowledge in their quest for entrepreneurship but start from one trade and grow gradually, especially taking off from freight forwarding.
He said: “Go for knowledge first and get a mentor. You must also be innovative. You must not be enthusiastic to place money before knowledge. You don’t make money overnight; you work towards making money and be versatile because you don’t know which of the alternative trades that would grow you.
“When the money is not there you create the job. You can especially start from freight forwarding and gradually grow.”
On his part, the father of the day, the Head Technical Abuja MOU, Engineer Richard Owolabi, advised the youths to embrace the virtues of diligence, integrity and patience needed to succeed in the maritime industry while the chairman of the occasion, Barrister Hassan Bello, represented, Captain Umoren of the Abuja MOU equally urged the youths to crave for creativity which he described as the hammer needed to break the glass ceilings.
He stressed that they should avoid the hindrances that come in the form of fear of the unknown – fear of being judged, fear of first step, fear of losing and fear of the future but be bold to take steps in innovation and creativity.
Thereafter, the students sought the assistance of ship owners and shipping companies to create room for students to work while schooling just like we have student doctors, considering that sailing is an essential service and a way of helping the students gain experience.
In response, the mother of the day, President of WISTA Nigeria pointed out that the easiest way to get experience is by rendering service.
“It can be voluntary jobs to some stakeholders and ship owners. You can go into human resources, catering, and fabrications; for instance, the personnel in the ship need somebody to feed them.
“You can go into ICT – develop data analysis; for example some companies have been running for years but not taking note of data,” she said.
Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of ‘Best Graduating Students Awards’ for academic excellence and to the exceptional student that emerged the ‘Overall Best Graduating Maritime Student’ for the 2021 academic session.
Also winner of the 2023 AMSAY Conference Speech Making Competition was honoured with an award and a cash gift of N100, 000 while the student that took the second position got a cash gift of N50, 000.