A former President of Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers &Water Transport Senior Staff Association; Capt Thomas Kemewerigha is calling for the probe of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) over the way it has so far handled the issue of waiver clause in the Cabotage Act
The waiver clause exclusively allows Nigerians the right of first refusal in the carriage of coastal cargoes and seafarers employment on such vessels.
The waiver clause is an integral part of the Cabotage Act of 2003. The Act empowers the Minister to upon “receipt of an application grant a waiver to a duly registered vessel on the requirement for a vessel under this Act to be wholly owned by Nigerian citizens, where he is satisfied that there is no wholly Nigerian owned vessel that is suitable and available to provide the services”.
But, Capt Kemewerigha argued that the Act was never meant to work, hence the approach adopted by NIMASA to implement it. He specifically fingered the exercise of waiver clause in the Act.
According to him, the abuse of the waiver clause has denied Nigerian seafarers valuable employment opportunities, when the supervisory Ministry and NIMASA allowe foreigners into the country to work on vessels, in clear violation of the Act.
Justifying his position that there are qualified seafarers in Nigeria, he stated that, “You only create waivers when you don’t have the professionals in that country like Nigeria, in this case to work on those vessels. Which vessels can Nigerian professional not handle? I have not seen any”.
He alleged further: “They grab the waivers, they pay in dollars, but the contract they acquire here is in billions, so they are not losing. If you ask the DG of NIMASA, he’ll tell you he has not granted any waiver. If you ask the minister, he’ll tell you he has not granted any waiver. For the past eight years, all the ministers, from the from the Minister of Transport to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, they will all tell you they have not approved one waiver. So, who is approving the waiver? They have the expatriates working on board the vessels. They should go to the Cabotage department and investigate whether waivers are not paid. It is a terrible situation”.