The Rector of the Certified Institute of Shipping of Nigeria (CISN) and a Professor of Maritime Administration, Prof. Alex Okwuashi has called for support from government to transfer some JAMB students as well as cadets from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State to CISN for training.
In a statement sent to Shipping Position Daily last week, Prof. Okwuashi harped on the need for government to encourage private maritime training institutions by considering giving of grants, supporting the provisions of specific learning facilities and provision of integrated sea training vessels in order to complement the efforts of MAN, Oron.
He said that government should cancel the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) which is sponsored by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), describing it as a drain pipe.
He noted that the dearth of maritime manpower especially seafarers is due to lack of adequate number of maritime training institutions offering nautical and seafaring-related programmes in Nigeria.
"CISN is ready to partner with government and one way of doing this is to send students from JAMB, MAN, Orin and other institutions with related programmes to CISN"
"Government should also stop foreign shipping development programmes of NIMASA. The programme is a drain pipe. Monies spent over the years for training of seafarers were wasted funds, as these lads have no ships to work on once back to the country"
"A cursory look at Nigeria investment parameters reveals lack of maritime domain awareness, nearly all the so-called shipping companies today are clearing and forwarding agencies, only very few are really involved in shipping and ports agency services"
"This is why performance of shipping companies are quite abysmal, unemployment and high rates of attrition in the maritime is mainly as a result of poor market share, dominance of shipping by foreign interests who earn nearly all proceeds from various shipping/ port operations, dwindling maritime businesses for indigenous companies, poor salaries, and associated incentives" he said.
Prof Okwuashi also advised that government must help salvage the maritime sector now and not listen to advice from some quarters that it should not be involved in the floating of a national carrier due to investment errors of NNSL during former President Olusegun Obasanjo's regime.
"Acquisition of ships is capital intensive and may not be easy for indigenous business – shipping companies. To listen to such is to destroy the future of youths studying shipping, seafaring, marine engineering and the maritime of Nigeria"
"Absence of national carrier and indigenous fleet for sea trainings and attachments for seafarers and a number of other factors are largely responsible for the dearth of seafarers"
"Government should de-emphasise negative skewed approach to sponsorship and support to only its own facilities" he advised.
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