Comrade Julius Efokpor (Sec Gen Merchant Navy)
It’s not fair on the part of NIMASA to delay in the issuance of discharge books for the seafarers, because that book is a record for sea time of seafarers and without the document ,it will be difficult for them to be employed. Without the discharge book, being aboard ship is irrelevant thus the delay to issue the book for over a year is absolutely wrong of NIMASA officials. It is not an excuse to say that the booklet has been exhausted because it is a vital document for the seafarers therefore it is supposed to be available always and I think it is time the department in charge woke up to the responsibility.
Kehinde Fie (Seafarer)
I think the department responsible for the issuance of the discharge book in NIMASA should be held responsible for the shortcoming. It tells the high level of bureaucracy in the agency because the people in charge are in the comfort of their offices doing nothing and at the end of every month, they collect salaries whereas they are idle doing nothing. If the DG of NIMASA is not forthcoming to do the needful, then there is need for his subordinate to advise him in that area. However their lacklustre attitude to work has caused thousands of seafarers their right to be gainfully employed.
Anonymous
It is a shame for NIMASA officials to come out and say that such a vital document is not available at the moment, knowing that the discharge book is part and parcel of the seafarers operations. Considering the period when this document has not been available alone should cause some people their jobs in the agency, because you can't rob Peter to pay Paul all the time and it is not justifiable for NIMASA to keep mum for so long on the document because the discharge book plays a key role in the life of every seafarer.
Prof. Alex Okwuashi (Rector, Certified Institute of Shipping, CIS)
Discharge book is based on evidence of sea time and sailing experience. It is not issued on the basis of claiming 'we are Nigerian youths'. Where is the vessel from where these lads were discharged? Maybe internship or IT should be arranged first with real vessel owners not caked or falsified discharge as it is commonly noticed amongst desperate seafarers.
This is why we are clamouring for a national carrier to fill this gap. It will be improper for NIMASA to issue any kind of discharge without proper sentiment. This is for safety reasons.
Comrade Owolabi Omotayo (Chairman, MWUN Liverpool Unit)
NIMASA should try as much as possible to issue the Discharge Book to all qualified seafarers in Nigeria because this is part of the international standard mandatory documents to have by all seafarer when on board the vessel and when ashore. The Discharge Book is very important to the seafarer because like any other seafarer document it holds all the history of the sailing of every seafarer. NIMASA should urgently issue the Discharge Book to all Nigerian seafarers to make them more competitively qualify to sign on and discharge in both the coastal and international vessels like their international counterparts in maritime shipping sector.
Sampson Chima (Registrar, Nigerian Institute of Shipping)
It is not justifiable at all, we learnt that NIMASA claimed to have ran out of stock, but I believe they are there for management and administration. In every organisation there is what we call logistic approach on materials, you have to take stock of your materials, and when you notice that you are running out of stock, you have to make new orders. There is no justification for NIMASA telling us that the discharge book is out of stock, the management should be held responsible. I have not seen anywhere in the world where the discharge book is out of stock, so seafarers should be stranded. As it is, we have a lot of seafarers who are to board, but because of the book they are grounded, this is not healthy. Secondly, NIMASA lacks inventory management.
Comrade John Okpono (Deputy Secretary General, Merchant Navy Association)
We have to be objective and tell ourselves the truth, the discharge book is used to record activities of a seafarers, but today, if you go to NIMASA, they would only give you eligibility form which only enable you write exams. It's like the immigration service telling Nigerians that there is no international passport for them to travel. The discharge book is a security document issued only by NIMASA, the issuance is not free, people pay for it. What we should ask NIMASA is to tell us exactly when they ran out of stock and is there no officer in charge of the book who could have notified management that the discharge book is about to be exhausted. It is complete negligent of duty on the part of NIMASA and they need to tender apology to Nigerian seafarers, they have neglected the sector and this is not done anywhere, NIMASA should stop putting up a defence.
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