The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it would send a fact-finding team to Philippines over the recent protest by some of its cadets under the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
In a video that has gone viral, a group of Nigerian cadets under the NSDP were seen protesting at the Nigerian Embassy in Manila Philippines, over alleged refusal by the Embassy to listen to and receive them and also listen to their grievances against NIMASA.
In the video, the cadets alleged that they had been abandoned by NIMASA, even as they said that they had been in that country for about 10 years.
They also lampooned the Embassy for denying them access and failing to grant them audience.
But, NIMASA on Saturday, disclosed that it was monitoring the “unfortunate development in the Philippines involving NIMASA NSDP 2013 cadets, as seen in a recent online video”.
In a statement, NIMASA also disclosed that, it has “received Ministerial approval for an assessment visit this October to ascertain, first-hand, the issues to fully and finally address them”.
“Our Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Engr. Victor Ochei, will lead the fact-finding mission to the Philippines to engage with the school and the cadets”.
“As responsible management, we must deal with this from an informed position, as the matter far predates this administration”, the statement added.
“While we regret the embarrassment this may have caused all concerned; we urge caution and avoidance of any speculative reporting until the official outcome of the on-the-spot evaluation to the Philippines is submitted”, NIMASA counselled.
Before the NIMASA statement, the Nigerian Embassy in Philippines had also explained why it refused to grant the protesting cadets audience.
In a press statement, the Embassy said the cadets did not give prior notification of their visit, as is required.
According to the Embassy in Manila, the protest was therefore illegal. “The Embassy wishes to inform that the said cadets did not have any scheduled appointment with the Embassy on the said date which is in defiant to the rules of Estate managements in the Philippines.”
“As such, the Estate/ Barangay reserves the right to prohibit persons from entering the premises without an appointment. Secondly, the cadets did not submit any formal notification of protest to the Philippine Authorities before they embarked on the protest.”
“This explains why there were a lot of police men present at the scene where the unruly cadets were disturbing the peace of the residents in the area and obstructing vehicular traffic.”
“It is pertinent to mention that the officials of the Embassy went to meet with the defiant cadets at the entrance of the estate to listen to their complaints which were delivered in a very insulting and demeaning manner with no regard for the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on whose sponsorship they were in the Philippines in the first place.”
In conclusion, the Embassy however stated that, it had forwarded the cadets’ complaints to appropriate authorities.
“Kindly note that all complaints from the cadets have since been communicated to the relevant authorities in NIMASA and the Embassy awaits further directives in that regard”, it said.
Kindly like us on Facebook/twitter
