NIMASA Assures Seafarers Improved Welfare As Nigeria Submits Instrument of MLC Domestication

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured the teeming population of Nigerian seafarers that Tuesday’s submission of the Instrument of Ratification of the all-important Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 will be a positive turning point in the future of seafaring.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured the teeming population of Nigerian seafarers that Tuesday’s submission of the Instrument of Ratification of the all-important Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 will be a positive turning point in the future of seafaring.
Executive Director; Maritime Labour and Cabotage Service in NIMASA; Barrister Calistus Obi who represented the Director General of NIMASA; Mr Ziakede Akpobolokemi, also told the Director General  of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the United Nation’s office in Geneva in Switzerland that Nigeria is desirous of ensuring fair treatment and commensurate  welfare  package for its seafarers.
The NIMASA executive director who alongside the minister of labour and productivity; Chief Emeka Nwogu submitted the instrument Tuesday evening,  assured that with the submission of the instrument which is  an essential part of the ratification process, Nigeria is set to redefine its maritime sector, because of the facilities associated with the MLC 2006.
“Today, we have just finished with the submission of the instrument of ratification. When we get back home, we will begin an entirely new process that will turn the sector around”, he told reporters.
He acknowledged that since MLC is all about seafarers, it will open seafaring to a new vista, adding that the convention is an all-encompassing instrument that is capable of changing the fortunes of Nigerian seafarers.
 According to him, the process of ratification took long because of the various parties involved. We can say without any iota of doubt that we dominate the maritime sector within West Africa, so it is the right thing to do.
The executive director also assured that the process of domestication of the instrument in the nation’s statutes has already started, and that a lot of activities would also be lined up to get the message and benefits of ratification and domestication to its intended beneficiaries.