Dr. Francis Ehiguese (ED, CILT Nigeria)
Dr. Francis Ehiguese (ED, CILT Nigeria)
One thing I would want to say is that NIMASA being a body that is statutorily empowered to ensure that we have qualified seafarers as well as the MAN, Oron that issues the certificates should ensure that they support the seafarers so that the Indians, the Philippines and other crop of foreign nationals do not dominate what Nigerians are capable of doing, what I discovered over time is that we shout we do not have jobs but many of these Nigerian seafarers are not actually qualified to mount these vessels, I want to advise the seafarers that the knowledge and skill they acquire is their own, this knowledge gap is what makes the ship owners not to have confidence in Nigerian seafarers. Another issue is that of integrity, what is the integrity of Nigerian seafarers, can they be trusted? They must work on themselves so that when people are agitating for them, they will not disappoint us at the end of the day. I wish them well, and I pray they realize that with the right skills, they can be employed in any part of the world, not just in Nigeria, if they are well trained, they will be sought after.
Vincent Okechukwu (Nat. Sec. AREFF)
NIMASA is the agency responsible for Nigerian seafarers, but up till today Nigerian seafarers cannot compete with their foreign counterparts from different countries of the world, a country like Pakistan, Philippines and so on, export their seafarers to different countries of the world, but Nigeria cannot boast of that, so what we need to do for Nigerian seafarers is to provide the training for them, onshore and offshore training, it is one thing to train a seafarer in higher institution but it is another thing to provide a ship that he will use for practicals, apart from these, there is need for improvement in their welfare, sometimes when you see Nigerian seafarers you will see that they are hungry, government should pay more attention, create a conducive environment for them. The private sector should also come in and play a role.
Dr. Alex Okwuashi (Rector, CISN)
In the Merchant Shipping Act which Nigeria has domesticated over the years, we have always looked up to the maritime administration of this country to ensure that the values and stipulations of the Merchant Shipping Act as it concerns seafarers are well implemented, one among them is the issue of training, today we have seen that though we have domesticated the STCW 95 Convention, training has started in earnest, but the seafarers after the training are not connected for jobs, this may not be unconnected with the absence of training vessels, so what I think government should do is to enter an agreement with ship owners to allow seafarers who have been properly trained from these institutions undertake SIWES or industrial attachment on these vessels , if this is done, employers of labor will know that the cadets have gotten the required sea experience so it will no longer be a problem allowing them to work on board. The other area is that of welfare, there should be human face to the job.
Venerable Mike Gbadebo (Mission to Seafarers)
There is the need for the government to put in place a constant sensitization programme for Nigerian seafarers which translates to manpower development, I still believe that in a situation whereby government can invite a large number of them to speak out on problems and issues bothering them will go a long way, with this, government will put their needs into proper perspective. The seafaring body should also create awareness about the activities of the seafarers to the government and private sector so that they can key into the system and look for ways to provide platforms for them to work. Two things are involve here, dialogue with the government and awareness campaign about seafarers activities, with this there will be changes.
Olawale George (Merchant Navy)
Basically job opportunity is the key factor to better the lots of our seafarers and I must say that since the governments do not have vessels to engage or train Nigerian seafarers they should look towards that direction, I know that with a national carrier in place, a larger percent of the problem our seafarers are facing will be solved. They should also set up machinery that will make sure that they are employed. Another way on how things can work better for us is to create a platform where young people will be trained about the seafaring profession so that they can compete with other seafarers globally. Constant training and re- training of our seafarers to world standard will also be a morale booster to the sector, the economy, and Nigeria as a whole.
Kehinde Fie (Seafarer)
In line with the World Seafarers Day which is expected to hold on the 25th of June, I think there is the need for government to look into our situation because a lot of us are not engaged on board vessels. And if we are not engaged, there is no way we can earn a living talk less of sustaining our families. Apart from this, government can also absolve us into some of its agencies just like Obasanjo did to Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps some years back, they should place us on salary grade level because since our government does not have national carrier for us to work, we can still contribute to the maritime sector one way or the other. I think with that we can not only earn a living but also build capacity for our country. Again, government should assist in training of the seafarers, and you will agree with me that most of the seafarers sponsor themselves to school.
Reuben Ovai (Rector, Stars Maritime Academy)
When you talk of seafaring, in many countries there must be intervention and direction from the government, when I look into the area of development of seafarers in Nigeria, I must say it is very poor because government is not looking at the privately owned maritime schools which also train the seafarers. NIMASA should visit these schools and encourage them. If there ultimate objective is to encourage the growth of human resources development in the maritime industry why can't they encourage the schools? It goes beyond sending Nigerians abroad to the detriment of the maritime schools at home, there is need to assist private schools in training Nigerian seafarers. The human capital resources is the most important as far as any sector is concern, so if we are not making the headway or having good policies on ground to encourage the seafarers in this regard, things will remain the same for them and it is not too good for the country
Dada Babatunde (Group Commercial Manager, GMT Shipping)
NIMASA has a very important role to play because they regulate the shipping industry in Nigeria, they are the ones that register the vessels, but unfortunately, the foreign companies are the ones controlling the shipping industry in Nigeria, and when they are coming into the country, nearly all the seafafers onboard are foreigners, no single Nigerian will be noticed onboard, if government really want to develop these seafafers, despite the fact that we are producing them but there is no where they can secur jobs, the few indigenous shipping companies in Nigeria employing these people are getting out of business, when they are not making money, how can the seafarers fare, the only thing we can do is our government, let there be a regulation that will compel the foreign ship owners to ensure that they bring a certain amount of Nigerian seaferers if they desire to trade on Nigerian waters
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