Engineer Reginald Onyeobi [Merchant Navy]
Engineer Reginald Onyeobi [Merchant Navy]
The best way to better the lots on the Nigerian seafarers is for government or the authority concerned to provide employment, but it is quite unfortunate that the jobs are not forthcoming rather the jobs are being given to foreigners, all in the name of waiver clause. Foreigners from India, Pakistan, Korea and Greece have dominance in the country which I feel is not right. Another way to better their lot is for our certificate to be recognized globally because the certificate that is obtainable in Nigeria is not recognized globally .NIMASA is not active enough to certify our seafarers, thus what NIMASA offers as certificate is not acceptable anywhere in the world. Oil companies cannot accept the indigenous certificate, so why will they employ the indigenous seafarers. How can NIMASA issue coastal voyage certificate to ship captains and master mariners with such certificate? It is a clear indication that such individual can only operate in Nigeria coast alone; which is not right. As we speak MAN Oron is filled with people that are awaiting to be admitted for seafaring programme and for now there is no room for admission in MAN Oron, so I urge the government to provide more training facilities for cadets to be well equipped in terms of practicasl and look for a means to upgrade our indigenous certificate to be recognized globally.
Barrister Osuala Nwagbara [Maritime Lawyer]
The best way to better their lives is basically for them to key into the National Seafarers Development Programme which I will say is pro active at the moment. I know that most of them are not aware about this scheme because there have not been sufficient sensitization to that effect, but I must say that there is need for them to be fine- tuned and enlightened on that programme. However seafarers have some many unpleasant experiences at sea through piracy attacks, sea robbery, and sickness, hijack of vessel which sometimes results to loss of lives and property.
Mallam Ibrahim Jubril [Dep. Director NIMASA]
There is need to sensitize the Nigerian seafarers and those who we are willing to become one, but it is unfortunate that some people are not taking the seafaring programme seriously .We have being campaigning on how to sensitize seafarers and some people are yet to embrace it. The burden of training seafarers lies on the Maritime Academy of Nigeria [MAN] Oron, though NIMASA accredits and certifies, but if there is nobody to say that I want to establish a training institution, NIMASA will not have any body to accredit.
Chief Ovia Reuben [Rector Stars Maritime Academy]
The issue is glaring because there is nothing to write home about the Nigerian Seafarers because we fail to put the right people in the right direction. Come to think of it, if we have a national carrier, I don’t think the problem being encountered by the seafarers shouldn’t be a problem because with that, there will be employment for the seafarers and a huge vacuum to train the Nigerian seafarers. This I believe is the foundation to ways of improving the lives of the seafarers. Another area to look at is the need for stakeholders to come together and address issues that affect the seafarers because there is the need for specialist to be involved in finding a lasting solution to the problems of the Nigerian Seafarers.
Oluwafemi Olulana (Former Deputy Director, Nigerian Shippers’ Council)
It starts with the ownership of our own fleet, because there is nothing that you will do without national interest that will prosper, we need to evolve a strategy for owning Nigerian vessels, and from there we can start encouraging Nigerian seafarers onboard these vessels. In the present scenario, we do not have big tonnage yet, and because we do not have it, does not mean we cannot evolve a strategy for protecting the interest of our citizens who are involved in seafaring, we must all corporate to do it, every stakeholder must come together and work a system or an Act or a regulation that has an international flavour, this can then translate into an Act, whatever standard we want for our seafarers should be included in this law, by so doing, before anybody employs a Nigeria, he must be sure to meet the required standard, without this standard, Nigerians will be treated anyhow.
Gomina Daniel (Seafarer)
Government should come up and draw a plan to assist them and also provide a retirement programme for them so that after the job they can have something to rely on, most seafarers are extravagant, they spend the larger share of their money on board vessels especially the deep-sea seafarer or you go on international trade, they usually spend more buying things in European countries and at the end of the day, there is nothing to take back home, so if there is a form of deduction every month set aside for retirement it will help. Government should also create awareness about the kind of job they are going into, the nature of the job, the contract terms and so on, because sometimes some seafarers find themselves at sea and they are paid peanuts. Government agencies like NIMASA can also help by creating workshops so that whenever the seafarers are at home they can attend the seminar, there should also be an educational training and re-training prigramme so that they can be aware of the modern technology and trends in shipping.
Dr. Obiora Madu (C.E.O Multimix Academy)
NIMASA should come up and train Nigerian seafarers, I know they have sponsored some people to MAN, Oron and so on, but after these guys finished from these academy, they must be helped to complete the international requirements to be a seafarer by being sea bound for about 18 months, if not, all the efforts will be a waste of time, whatever can be done to assist them to get this required sea-time must be done, because until you do this you cannot claim to have trained them. Some of the things we suffer in this country are not rocket science, how much does a vessel cost? It has become absolutely necessary that you can even set up a line for purposes of having these guys complete their programme; I don’t see the big deal in that.
Sampson Chima (Registrar, NIS)
Since the demise of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) we have had the problem of fixing our seafarers on board vessels, we produce seafarers but there is nowhere for them to serve at sea, this was what prompted NIMAS to sign an MoU with a Mayasian and Indian academies so that our seafarers can go on board vessels, but as long as we continue to have the problem of vessels in Nigeria, our seafarers will always be the way they are. Also, most of the seafarers that are retiring are not being replaced; NIMASA is using the NSDP programme which is being co-sponsored by some states until NIMASA recently took it over to help out. However, my concern is where these seafarers are going to serve after they have returned to the country, currently NIMASA has said that most of our indigenous vessels are not classed. Secondly, the MAN, Oron should be properly positioned as it should be, so that our seafarers can be among the best in the whole world.
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