The Nigerian Association of Master Mariners has been called upon to intervene and solve the crisis currently rocking the body Nigerian merchant Navy officers.
Apart from the Nigerian Merchant Navy and Water Transporters Senior Staff Association which is the umbrella body and union of all Nigerian seafarers, another body known as Merchant Navy Directorate is now in existence.
Apart from this, a new body also known as the Association of Marine Professionals is also emerging. The merchant navy senior staff is the foremost recognised body headed by Engr. Mathew Alalade, Merchant Navy Directorate is headed by Retired Rear Admiral Godswill Ombo while the Association of Marine Professionals is headed by Capt Segun Akanbi.
In an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily last week, Capt Akanbi, called on mariners to reunite all seafarers, saying that currently there is no common front to fight their course.
According to him multiplicity of seafarers’ association is going to kill the profession, even as he urged master mariners to bring their wealth of experience to bear, saying that they are the only ones that can ensure sanity.
"The problems we are having now is unnecessary, most of us work on the same ship, but we are now enemies when it comes to our organizations and associations, this association (Association of Marine Professionals) is now a common ground where we can settle most of the problems, ratings, officers and even maritime lawyers can come forward with their problems and we would create a resolution among everyone"
"Master Mariners are forming that they are the boss, Merchant Navy Association are also forming their own as senior officers, if this continues, it means you are dividing the ship, and on the ship is where we have onward together, but now you are separating it"
"The problem we are having now is that the master mariners have refused to take command of their ship, if the master mariners today, with their wealth of experience express readiness to take command of that ship, they will unite the ship, already it is a divided ship, there must be a unifying body, the master mariners should take the responsibility. They have the power to call everybody to order; it is only when they are ready to do this that we would have a way forward"
Capt Akanbi said he is also a member of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Senior Staff Association.
Also speaking with Shipping Position Daily recently, President of Merchant Navy Senior Staff Association, Engr Mathew Alalade said that Merchant Navy Directorate was established by some elements within his association who were expelled from the association for anti-association activities.
Alalade who was addressing our correspondent alongside his Assistant Secretary, Mr John Okpono said that the use of the name "Merchant Navy" by the new group is against the law. According to him, the merchant navy directorate is an entity under the merchant navy association; hence it is illegal and criminal for persons expelled from the association to now be seeking relevance with the name.
Alalade however told our correspondent point blank to stop giving audience to officials of the new group.
But, Secretary of the Merchant Navy Directorate, Capt Alfred Oniye argued that the Nigerian Merchant Navy Association is a union while his own body is a formation.
"I am still a member of the Nigerian merchant navy association until the next election; it is a union for the officers. But Merchant Navy Directorate itself is not a union, it is a formation organized by global laws all over the world, if you check NIMASA laws, there is nothing like Nigerian Merchant Navy, what you have is Merchant Seafarer"
"The senior staff association is a union that came together to look into the welfare of officers, but Merchant Navy Directorate is a formation that brings all the bodies together, both the ratings, the officers, cadets and the shipowners to look into their problems and to revamp the maritime economy. The directorate is not restricted to Nigerians alone, foreigners can come in, 99 percent of the members of the union are also members of the directorate" , he said.
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