The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi has appealed to Nigerian seafarers and dockworkers to assist the agency in actualizing its mandate, especially with regards to implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006
Akpobolokemi has equally assured that the ministerial regulation which will ensure effective implementation of the convention in Nigeria is at the verge of completion.
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi has appealed to Nigerian seafarers and dockworkers to assist the agency in actualizing its mandate, especially with regards to implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006
Akpobolokemi has equally assured that the ministerial regulation which will ensure effective implementation of the convention in Nigeria is at the verge of completion.
The NIMASA Director General made the appeal to dockworkers and seafarers present at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) which held in Lagos last week end.
Akpobolokemi also assured that plans have been concluded to conduct Maritime Labour Inspectors (MLI) training for the conduct of Flag and Port State Control inspections in line with the requirement of the MLC 2006 convention.
Akpobolokemi who was represented by Head, Marine Environment Management Department of NIMASA; Mrs Juliana Gunwa appealed to seafarers and dockworkers for their continuous support to ensure Nigeria delivers on its mandate as required by all ratifying countries of the MLC 2006.
The NIMASA DG said that the Convention which is expected to come into force on June 18th, 2014, will address issues relating to the welfare of seafarers.
In preparation for the Convention take-off, Akpobolokemi said that "special sessions with relevant stakeholders, in particular, the seafarers will be carried out in June 2014 to further bring to fore their responsibilities and obligations on the convention".
"You may wish to recall that in 2013, a number of sensitization, tripartite stakeholders’ meetings were held primarily to enlighten relevant stakeholders, this has been with the active participation of MWUN representatives in line with the spirit of tripartism", he recalled.
Akpobolokemi equally said that NIMASA has recorded milestone achievements in 2013 in trying to ensure that its labour functions meet international standards.
He said that, "last year, significant accomplishments were made in the training of dockworkers to ensure their skills are enhanced, while seafarers training in specialized and mandatory courses were conducted to ensure they meet the necessary requirements for onboard placement".
Discussion about this post