Akin Leosho (Secretary, NPA Senior Staff)
Akin Leosho (Secretary, NPA Senior Staff)
If MAN Oron has the capacity to accommodate all of them, then I don't see any reason why they cannot be trained here, but if Oron does not have the capacity and we want to have an accelerated development of manpower, then I think it’s a welcome development. But when they are trained and there is no job opportunity for them, then what is the essence? When they are qualified, is there going to be job opportunities for them? You have exposed them, they have gone out and developed to a certain level and now that they come back and there is no job, if we do this we will be inviting anarchy and chaos. This is the area that government ought to focus on, it is one thing to buy a car, but it is another thing to maintain the car. I don't see why a national line should not be encouraged, at least to provide the openings for the cadets to be encouraged further. I don't think we are tapping into the Cabotage law at all; we still see more foreigners benefiting from the sector than Nigerians, the maritime sector is very wide and it can still absolve a lot of manpower.
Chidiebere Godson (Parent)
The NSDP is a very good programme and I believe it will build capacity for the cadets, we are grateful to President Goodluck Jonathan for giving hope to the Nigerian youths, like the DG NIMASA have said, the programme is a total package, it’s not as if government will abandon them over there, they will be given an opportunity of sea time.
Friday Essien (Seafarer)
The NSDP is a welcomed development because these people will later on be used in the maritime sector and this is good for the country, we will have ably trained men in the industry, it will equip them with the technical know-how about the job. But the issue is that; where do we go from there? After training them you can't just leave them on the streets without them being employed, they will begin to roam the streets, so the major thing is that, after you train them, provide jobs for them because there are still a lot of jobs on the waterways, the maritime industry is so big and Nigeria has not even tapped it at all, we are still behind. However, one of the things I observed which out to be corrected is that, people that are not opportuned do not get the training, it is only those that are connected, at the end of the day you end up getting people that are not supposed to be there, there are people that want to take the job as their personal carrier, while some may be taking it as a last resort.
Sampson Chima (Registrar, NIS)
It is a very good programme, it is a good initiative and it is encouraging. But my question is: where would they be employed at the end of the day? There are two things involved, its either they are employed in Nigeria or employed overseas, in Nigeria, which vessels are they going to man, where is our national carrier? We are having more than 1,000 of them so far, after training them they still come back to Nigeria and roam the streets like others, we still have the merchant navies trained by other institutions, they are qualified and have also been boarding vessels, bringing these new cadets to join them means that we are still singing the same old song. What government should be doing is to float a national carrier. Apart from this, we have the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund which is supposed to be fully on ground now, but where is the money? How many vessels have been bought by ship owners? Where will the cadets be employed? They are trained as mariners so they cannot be employed by shipping companies in the offices.
Comrade Mathew Adele (Dockworker)
Yes it will provide employment because if they have overseas training, it automatically means that they have international experience and knowledge about seafaring and other maritime duties. We have cases whereby the students from universities, polytechnic and college of educations and all other tertiary training after graduating from school for years without jobs. So the seafarers sent abroad are no exception. But after receiving training of such, they can also become trainer, which is another form of job opportunity for them.
Simon Otorgiaghale (SMA)
It is a good innovation by NIMASA to send Nigerian youths to foreign countries of the world for training and I believe that it is time for us to appreciate better things. I know when they come back they have places to work both locally and internationally. In my own opinion, I think it will impact on them positively, but the area of engagement of the seafarers by companies is another problem, because we don't have ocean going vessels and the indigenous operators cannot help to provide employment for them.
Odulaja Eniola (Stakeholder)
The programme is a great initiative by government and I believe shipping business is an international trade, the seafarers are not limited to only their country but the international community, therefore even if the jobs are not forthcoming in Nigeria they can get engaged by other maritime countries of the world. In my own opinion the NSDP is a welcome development and it will address issues of manpower t in the country.
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