The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has urged the Federal Government to urgently revamp the Nigeria National Shipping Line (NNSL), stating that a large number of able seamen would be engaged onboard the national carrier if revived.
Speaking during the 5th Quandriennal Delegates Conference 2021 of the Seamen/NIWA,Water Transport Branch, the President General of the union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju noted that if the NNSL is revived many of the unemployed seafarers will be employed.
He also appealed for a revamp of Seafarers Pool system that will further boost manpower development and job creation for seafarers in the country.
The union boss also lamented the alarming rate of foreign dominance in the nation’s waters, while calling on the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to bring Nigerian seafarers to parity with their foreign counterparts.
The union also lamented difficulty and the high cost of obtaining discharge certificate, while urging NIMASA to reduce and provide the necessary Seafarers Identity Documents for workers.
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Adeyanju further informed that the lack of Seafarers Pool, high cost of acquiring medical certificate and non-enforcement of the Cabotage Act are the major problems currently faced by Nigerian seamen.
While noting that the foremost maritime training academy; the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Akwa Ibom state needs all the necessary support to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts, he added that funding and upgrading of training facilities at the MAN Oron, to global standard should be given upmost priority to bridge the yearning gap in manpower development.
“We call on NIMASA as the government regulatory agency of seafarers to sit up and do the needful to bring Nigerian seafarers to parity with their counterparts elsewhere in the world.
“We also call for the re-awakening of the Seafarers Pool system which is overdue”, he said.
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