President, National Association of Stevedoring Companies, Mr. Bolaji Sunmola has said that the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State is 50 times better than the Philippines University where the cadets of the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) were attending.
The NSDP programme is an innovation of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) designed to bridge the shortfall in the number of Nigerian seafarers.
Sunmola in a chat with Shipping Position Daily last week took a swipe at NIMASA, saying that the programme is just an effort to launder government money.
He alleged that one of the schools in Philippines (names withheld) is not up to the standard of Nigeria's own MAN, Oron, and that the cadets should have been trained in Nigeria. He urged NIMASA Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside to concentrate efforts on bringing the Nigerian foremost maritime academy up to acceptable world standard.
According to him, "If MAN Oron was working at optimum level, we wouldn't have had the issue of sending our boys to Philippines, it is a shame that when I heard about the school they went to in Philippines, Oron is even 50 times better than the school"
"It is all in the name of laundering money and that's just what I call it"
"Oron can be run to standard, but I believe nobody will do it for us except Nigerians, so it all comes down to the fact that something is wrong with us and we must get our acts together"
"If it is money, money is not the problem, we know the millions that were buried in the Philippines, the place is not even up to the standard of Oron, yet they went there all in the name of going out of Nigeria" Sunmola alleged.
Sunmola urged NIMASA to take a cue from the Aviation sector where over 70% of pilots were trained at the School of Aviation in Zaria, Kaduna State.
He also said that government should invest in enough simulators for the academy because this is all that is required for training after which negotiations should be made with available ship owners in Nigeria for their seatime.
"What is so difficult in training cadets? Don't forget that we even train pilots in Nigeria; the School of Aviation in Zaria is training pilots. All that is needed is simulators and work out vessels with shipowners"
"They should go and copy what the pilots have been able to do over the years and let's adopt it, I am sure that with this we would overcome some of the problems. Back then, 70 percent of our pilots were trained in Nigeria"
"Even if we cannot afford a ship, how much will a simulator cost, with today's technology and simulation, you can be in an environment as if you are on the waters, the scenario can be built" Sunmola said.
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