Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN, Oron), has appealed for government support towards mariners attaining sea-time training and certification by other International Maritme Organisation (IMO) member nations in the absence of suitable training vessels domestically.
Addressing maritime journalists who visited the school recently, Mr. Joshua Okpo, argued that classroom studies alone was not enough as cadets need to acquire requisite on-hand experiences to transform them into professionals who can positively contribute towards national growth..
According to Okpo, “We need to ponder the comparative advantages between training a child properly thus making him of use to the society, or training him half-baked and turning him to a miscreant and societal problem. We appeal to the federal government to please, as a matter of national importance, make out provision for sea-time for the present programme we have engaged in.”
The Rector further stated that with a backlog of 5,ooo cadets waiting since 2002, the academy recently secured arrangements for ship time training facilities abroad but were being hampered by the high costs of operation.
“Recently, we had an engagement to have the ship-training programme in Istanbul, Turkey in association with the Philippines and Georgia. The intention is to ensure that 250 cadets comprising 100 mariners and 150 deck officers are put on board the ship for a period of 12 months, at the cost of 100 Euro a day or 9.1 million Euro for the 250 cadets per year. When converted to naira, it amounts to about N2.1 billion to handle 250 cadets per year to enable them have a certificate of competence of various degrees. We have gone, negotiated and inspected the ship but the handicap is how to fund it.
“The advantage of this arrangement is that apart from being certified by NIMASA, the cadets will also get certification from any of those countries that are collaborating. It is a new initiative and an avenue for Nigeria anD other countries desirous of solving the problem of sea-time.
The Rector further noted that through the “multi-faceted partnership” being developed, including affiliation with the World Maritime University (WMU), grandaunts of the academy would receive global acceptance rather than be given second-rate status. He expressed gratitude for support received from the ministry of transport and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)
