Federal government’s plans to produce indigenous hands in the core areas of nautical science, naval architecture and marine engineering under the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), received a boost recently when NIMASA sent 655 cadets on training programme abroad.
As a concept, the NSDP ids designed to close existing indigenous capacity gaps in NIGERIA’S ship-building value chain, ship-manning and contemporary elements of ship operations and navigation. Speaking at a send-forth ceremony for the 655 trainee-cadets who recently qualified to undergo training in renowned maritime institutions abroad, the Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi disclosed that the overseas training programme demonstrates NIMASA’s clear understanding that investments in the development of indigenous human capacity is the surest path to Nigeria’s maritime sector growth.
Sponsoring the training of Nigerian students in renowned maritime institutions abroad is intended to cushion the dearth of indigenous seafarers in the maritime subsector of the Nigerian economy, one issue the ageing generation of masters mariners in Nigeria have been shown tremendous concern for.
Finding indicate that the impact of the training of cadets under NSDP will become obvious in years to come when the trainees would have ended their training which encompasses sea-time experience to qualify them to take over from the present generation of Nigerian seafarers. The number of indigenous master mariners in Nigeria is fast depleting due to death and incapacitation occasioned by sickness and old age. Investigations show that on the average, the youngest among them is 60.
In 2012, about 1500cadets were selected and are already undergoing training. With the present batch of 655, a total number of 2505 trainee-cadets are now undergoing academic, technical and sea-time training in various maritime schools abroad under the NSDP initiative. The present batch is destined for training institutions in Egypt, India, Phillipines, Romania, and the United Kingdom.
In 2oo8, NIMASA pioneered the national seafarer development programme under the tenure of former Director-General, Dr. Ade Dosunmu, having realized the dire need to charm out a strategic stop-gap measure to serve as a prelude to a comprehensive human capacity building policy in Nigeria’s maritime sector. The decision then was to commence training abroad because Nigeria, even as at today, lacks relevant competencies in terms of infrastructure and personnel to drive the shipping sector. According to Dr. Dosunmu then, the initiative was expected to be immediately complemented by expansion of local training capacity together with preliminary discussions which had commenced then with the institutions currently training the NSDP cadets to provide technical support and exchange programme ranging between 2-3 years thereby assisting the local faculties of these institutions.
“We also had on the scorecard”, he explained, “the development of some of our local universities to offer relevant programmes”.
True to the former director-general’s plans, the present leadership of NIMASA is already actualizing the dream. In addition, it has empowered three universities in Nigeria to inaugurate institutes of maritime studies in their various campuses. These are the University of Lagos, University of, Nsukka, Ibrahim Babagida University Lapai, Niger state and the Niger Delta University in Bayelsa State.
However, Dosunmu’s initiative could not be fully implemented during his tenure. His successor, Mr. Temi Omatseye, a maritime lawyer, on assumption of office, mapped out a 5-Point agenda in pursuit of a 10-year strategic development vision for the maritime maritime industry. Amongst the 5-point Agenda, is indigenous capacity building via the instrumentality of the b Nigerian Seafares’ Development Programme (NSDP). Initially, the programme enrolled 56 cadets drawn from the different states, thus providing a platform for different states and the federal government.
Owing to lack of interest in the programme by many state government and realizing the need to expand the scope to cater for more youths across the board, NIMASA has introduced what industry watcher snow call a turnaround. A new scheme of NIMASA, absorbing financial responsibility of sponsoring qualified students overseas for training is now in place. This is without prejudice to the existing arrangement involving states and the federal government.
As stated by Akpobolokemi, the NSDP guarantees that in the nearest future, Nigeria will be Africa’s hub for the supply of skilled maritme human capital which will justify the resources and support received from Mr. President and other parastatals of government.
In a related development, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, is being fixed and upgraded into a full time maritime university to be affiliated to the world Maritime University in Malmo. Sweden. Contracts have been awarded for the building of a full-fledged maritime university to be located in Okerenkoko, Delta state while government is now set to build a shipyard to offer practical knowledge for cadets will undergo training in naval architecture.
Meanwhile, three newly acquired boats have been commissioned to enhance enforcement of security in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
According to Transport Minister, Senator Idris Umar who stood in for the president at the send –forth event, “in the area of maritime security and safety, efforts are being intensified to secure our maritime domain and beyond through the development for enforcement of security boats”. The boats, according to reports, were acquired through a Private- Public-Partnership contract with the Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria Limited.
