In continuation of its resolve to tackle human capacity challenge in the maritime industry, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Saturday held the flag off ceremony of the Nigerian Seafarers’ Development Programme (NSDP) Terra 2 at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The ceremony saw 400 cadets sent off to reputable universities in India and Greece to pursue decree courses in seafaring.
Delivering his welcome address at the occasion, the director general of NIMASA, Doctor Bashir Jamoh, recalled that the programme was introduced by the agency in 2008 to fulfil one of its core functions in the area of maritime capacity building with the sole mandate of training Nigerian youths to become seafarers and Naval Architects.
He said it was designed to train Nigerian youths up to degree level in Marine Engineering, Nautical Sciences and Naval Architecture in some of the best Maritime Training Institutions (MTIs) abroad and to position them to compete effectively in the global maritime industry.
Jamoh noted that the number of Nigerian seafarers on ocean going vessels as at then had depleted over the years and the urgent need to boost it adequately for effective implementation of the coastal and inland shipping policy of the government, informed the initiative.
“At some point, it was said that Nigeria had less than 10 seafarers on ocean going vessels, while countries like the Philippines had over 400,000, and currently earn over $6,000,000,000.00 in forex inflow from their seafarers employed around the world.
“Countries like India, Indonesia and China also have their nationals all around the world working in the maritime industries.
“Countries like India, Indonesia and China also have their nationals all around the world working in the maritime industries,” he informed.
The director general however, raised hope that with the continuous progress made and better projections in the NSDP, Nigeria will soon be among the major players in the global maritime sector.
He announced that the programme from inception to 2020 has enrolled 2,041 students, while 892 are now licensed deck and engine officers including naval architects, while the rest are in their final stage of the programme.
Jamoh also announced that 486 of the graduates are now gainfully employed and sailing in both coastal and ocean going vessels, hence, NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) satisfied with the above success and the need to drive the policy of the federal government on youths empowerment to a laudable height approved the expansion of the programme by 435 new intakes (christened NSDP TERRA).
According to him, the best candidates are selected into the NSDP with beneficiaries spreading across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Jamoh further noted that the past decade has witnessed an increase in the global trading fleet, partly on account of developments in Asia and other emerging opportunities, adding that in Nigeria, the demand for seafarers has also increased on account of the Cabotage regime which requires that vessel engaged in commercial trade and operations in the coastal and inland waters in Nigeria should be manned by Nigerians.
He expressed optimism that the prospects for the future of the Nigerian shipping industry remain very bright in spite of the manpower constraints.
To the youthful cadets, he demanded that never lose sight of the mission of this voyage; “avoid the foreign distractions that can cause a shipwreck to your budding careers and dedicate yourselves to the completion of your education so that your country’s huge investment will not be in vain.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Also the minister of transportation, Alhaji Muazu Jaji Sambo, in his keynote address at the flag off event commended NIMASA for the giant strides so far made in the area of human capital development of the maritime sector.
He noted that the collapse of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) no doubt created a gap in the manpower development of the shipping industry in Nigeria especially in the area of shipboard training and manning.
Also the implementation of the coastal and inland shipping policy according to him, increased the demand for Nigerian seafarers which as at that time was in gross shortage.
The minister stated that the choice of foreign Maritime Training Institutions (MTIs) to train Nigerian youths to become seafarers was mainly based on capacity and certification of the Institutions in the area of maritime training (STCW) by IMO.
He reiterated that the initiative targeted training globally competitive officers that will erase the unfortunate discrimination that exists between local and foreign trained officers in practice, adding that efforts are ongoing in the area of upgrading local Maritime Training Institutions to enable them take up the NSDP trainings in the near future.
Sambo acknowledged that the NSDP has so far been a success story and has further advanced the human capacity development programme of the federal government.
He said: “I have been made to understand that the programme had produced a female tugboat captain in the person of CANUS EBINIPRE ROBINSON and several Deck mates and 2nd Engineers currently sailing in both coastal and international vessels.
“The flag off of the third phase of NSDP ‘christened NSDP-TERRA’ marks another milestone in the development of manpower in line with the federal government policy on youth empowerment.”
The minister urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the Nation and justify the massive investment in them.
“This programme is a rare opportunity that is highly sought after by your peers, but providence has placed it on you and must be guarded jealously for the development and benefit of the Nation.
“We will continually monitor your progress in the programme and will not hesitate to discipline the recalcitrant ones among you.
“I urge you all to eschew drugs and any conduct that will portray the nation in bad light,” he counseled.
In his goodwill message, the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade (Prince) Adewale Adeyanju, described the programme as seafarers’ capacity building that “all of us have been yearning for.”
“MWUN will continue to partner NIMASA on this gigantic project,” he promised.
Adeyanju encouraged all the seafarers to join hands with NIMASA to when the cadets graduate they would het employment.
“MWUN will support the code of conduct because there must be discipline,” he stressed
He thanked the Minister of Transport and NIMASA for the effort put into the NSDP programmse, noting that “most of our seafarers expatriates because we don’t have Nigerians that met the standard.
Also giving a goodwill message, the managing Director of Sea Transport Group, Alhaji Aminu Umar, exposed the lucrative nature of the seafarer profession saying that a captain of a small tanker today earn N10million per month.
He therefore advised the cadets to be committed to the training programme with the aim of becoming professionals in the industry.