NSDP: Monotechnic Don Condemns Foreign Training Of Seafarers

A Monotechnic don, Mr. Chidere Chigozie has faulted the Nigeria Seafarers Development Programmes (NSDP) which is designed to train Nigerian seafarers overseas on nautical sciences, marine engineering and other maritime-related courses.

Chigozie a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Nigeria and the Rector Emdee Shipping and Maritime College gave the assertion in a document made available to Shipping Position Daily recently.

The rector said that NIMASA should consider a more justifiable and equitable use of its resources to better the lot of a greater number of seafarers by acquiring a training vessel for the academy and by extension for all maritime training institutions in Nigeria, rather than facing overseas training only.

According to him, NIMASA can acquire two vessels to meet the yearnings of Nigeria seafarers rather than send people abroad for training.

He said some of the funds invested in foreign trainings of Nigerians can go a long way to acquire vessels for an institute like Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron , Akwa Ibom State.

The Emdee boss further noted that MAN, Oron is in dire need for a training vessel to empower its students on the technical know-how, but NIMASA has never thought of how to assist the school with just a vessel.

" According to report, over 2,500 out of the projected 5,000 Seafarers have so far been trained at both degree levels and high professional standards in various countries like Romania, The Philippines, United Kingdom, United States of America, India, Egypt, and other countries, under the NSDP.

"The funding is a 60:40 ratio where the state governments are to provide 60 percent of the tuition fees and NIMASA is to provide the balance of 40 percent".

"Other financial obligations like air fares, monthly allowance and other sundry expenses are borne solely by NIMASA and for this, NIMASA is reported to have budgeted the sum of N30 billion.

"Plausible as these details may sound, NIMASA failed to explain why Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN); the nation’s 35-year old institution, along with her cadets are not included in the plan".

"But the implied message is that seafarer education could succeed anywhere, but not in Nigeria."

"Yet that impression is deceptive. One undercurrent that has triggered the discontent among ship owners for the quality of training offered by MAN Oron and which discontent is eroding the foundations of the academy is the knowledge that the academy does not have access to a training vessel on which cadets can gain sea time training.

He further recalls that the academy enrolled cadets for mandatory sea time training about 20 years ago, the same time Nigerian National shipping Line (NNSL) collapsed.

Chigozie maintained that since then, series of proposals for the procurement of a training vessel for the academy has been swept under the carpet by NIMASA.

According to his findings, a new cargo ship could sell for between US$5 million and US$10 million, which approximates to between N750 million and N1.5 billion respectively.

"Evidently, with the N30 billion budgeted as cost of training for the 5000 Seafarers abroad, NIMASA could procure at least 20 new cargo vessels which could also serve as training vessels. "

"Yet what MAN Oron is requesting for is just one vessel and it is pertinent to note here that the training of a Seafarer is incomplete without the mandatory hours at sea which qualifies him for the Seaman’s Certificate of Competence (COC)."

" The Certificate of Competence is issued to Masters, Officers, Radio Operators and Ratings forming part of a watch, who meet the standards of competence relevant to their particular functions and level of responsibility on board.

"Considering the international and dynamic nature of the business of shipping, the absence of a training vessel for a training institution like MAN and consequently the lack of sea time training for her cadets is a serious defect on her reputation and integrity and which has rubbed off on the National Diploma certificate it offers to hundreds of graduates each year.

"Contempt for MAN Oron has spread beyond the ship owners as government; the owner of the academy, through the agency of NIMASA has continued to declare her products as unemployable. In fact, the sad news making the rounds is that most of the graduates of MAN Oron end up as Commercial Motorcycle (Okada) riders while Nigerian vessels engaged in Cabotage, which practically should have been an avenue for their sea service as deck or engineer cadets, are manned by Philippinos and other foreign crew.

"The reason for this is not far-fetched. Beside the absence of a training vessel and other besetting infrastructural problems of the academy, the government would rather politicise issues of Seafarer development for the interest of their cronies than doing the needful"

"Otherwise, why is NIMASA spending so much in foreign universities training green horns selected by politicians at the states when thousands of graduates from MAN are roaming the streets simply because they could not access a sea-going vessel where they would complete their training and qualify for NIMASA’s certification as Officers?

"The broad unhappiness on the part of MAN cadets and graduates stems from the fact that the government though very much aware of the huge financial losses accruing from the nation’s inability to face stiff international competition as it marches towards achieving full potential as a maritime nation, chooses to waste financial resources overseas which ordinarily would have been used to provide adequate training facilities for MAN."

" It is ironical and at the same time disheartening to know that even the MOU, which Nigeria signed with Turkish Shipping Concerns, Piri Reis University in Istanbul, Turkey, and World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden, co-ordinated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to take on board vessels Deck and Engineering Cadets of MAN for sea training as slated for April 2014 was postponed by government with the recurring flimsy excuse for lack of funds.

Speaking further, he said seafarers across the country want the government to stop paying lip service to the affairs of MAN adding that "anyone who has been to the academy and has seen the level of uncompleted and seemingly abandoned projects on ground would wonder why NIMASA is even embarking on proliferation of maritime training centres all over the country".

The Rector urged government to do all within its power to actualise the vision and mission of the academy in training the youths, if they still believe the youths are the future leaders Nigeria.

He called for a review of National Seafarers Development Programme spearheaded by government through NIMASA saying that priority attention to completing the training for the thousands of cadets from MAN Oron, who summarily are abandoned.

"The issue of facilitating sea time experience for cadets should no longer be a concern of just the Rector and the Alumni of MAN. "

"Government should take it for what it is; as a mandatory aspect of the curriculum which must be covered."

" Rather than the economic drain pipe which the NSDP has proven to be in reality, NIMASA should consider a more justifiable and equitable use of its resources to better the lot of a greater number by acquiring a training vessel for the academy and by extension for all maritime training institutions in Nigeria. "

"If it works for Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and the rest, it should be made to work for Nigeria. The Maritime Academy of Nigeria must be assisted through proper funding to live up to expectation as the pioneer institution charged with the responsibility of driving the process of training seafarers and port workers and also to help develop our Cabotage regime and contribute to coastal trade as well as help to man our vast expanse of the Gulf of Guinea."