The Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transporters Senior Staff Association, has raised alarm that most Nautical schools in Nigeria are still producing half-baked cadets without true knowledge required to be a seafarer.
The association expressed concerns that many of the lecturers at the academies have not been to sea before and are not fit for the job.
Speaking at the recent 2017 Seafarers Day celebration in Lagos, Vice Chairman of Shipping Zonal Council of the association; Capt Alfred Segun Oniye noted that the reason many seafarers are jobless today is because they lack sea term experience.
According to him, the situation has become so bad that cadets have access to see a vessel only in their text books.
He also noted that some of the lecturers are not experienced and they usually search on Google before they could understand meaning of some shipping terms.
Speaking further, Capt. Oniye said, "most of the nautical science lecturers today have never been to sea before. How can you teach me how to drive when you have never driven before? You are not a trained driver, the sea is not by paper, it is a practical Job"
"I put myself in the position of a shipowner or employer, and you as a graduate have only seen a ship inside your textbook and you expect me to employ you to carry out a practical job?"
"This means that Nigeria is producing half-baked seafarers. Go to the United States or UK, what qualifies you to be a nautical science lecturer is you must be an experienced ship mate or a captain because the job is practical" he said.
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