Immediate past President Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Captain Thomas Kemewerigha has advised private maritime institutions in the country to solicit support from the Federal Ministry of Education saying that it is not the responsibility of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency [NIMASA} to assist self owned academy in the country.
Immediate past President Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Captain Thomas Kemewerigha has advised private maritime institutions in the country to solicit support from the Federal Ministry of Education saying that it is not the responsibility of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency [NIMASA} to assist self owned academy in the country.
Kemewerigha made this known based on the backdrop of some private maritime institutes lamenting about the lack of support and encouragement by the maritime apex agency even as he told Shipping Position Daily in Lagos that NIMASA might decide to assist but it is not in the position to take responsibility by providing infrastructure and funds to the schools.
He called on rectors and directors of private maritime schools to shift their attentions from the maritime agency to the ministry of education for support.
The ex-merchant navy boss said that NIMASA as an agency under the ministry of transport has it core functions stipulated in the act and it is not mandated to fund private maritime schools in Nigeria.
‘’I must be frank with you because it is not the duty of NIMASA to assist the private institutions in the country rather it is the duty of the ministry of education’’.
‘’Because you are running a school like every other school does not mean you should rely on somebody to fund it and the only difference is that it is a maritime school thus it does not pump money for you’’.
‘’The only way I could say NIMASA can give assistance to the private schools it is the way they are giving assistance to ship owners to acquire vessels”.
‘’It has gone beyond the situation where people look at NIMASA as a money venture outfit and this interference has created a lot of problem to the agency.’’
Kemewerigha also advised that the ministry of education would be able to oblige because of the school’s sensitive position of human capacity development of the nation.
He added that encouragement to private maritime institutes goes beyond physical cash pointing out that books, workshop equipment; marine tools and even donation of computers are ways that the schools can be assisted.
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