(With Agency Report)
Nigerian seafarers have protested at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) over what their spokesman Mr. Adeola Lawal, claimed were abuses that many indigenous seafarers suffer.
They are demanding the scrapping of the Cabotage Department of NIMASA, claiming that it has failed to perform its statutory function. The seamen stated that they have been rendered redundant by NIMASA because their jobs have been given to foreigners.
Lawal further alleged that the agency is a Federal Government establishment put in place to take care of maritime workers, But that instead it has acted contrary to its mandate. Lawal said: “There is no department responsible for the seaman that is up to date; they rather destroy the lives of the seamen. The Cabotage Department that is supposed to take care of job placements of the seamen is not doing this. All areas of our maritime lives are dominated by foreigners at the expense of Nigerian seamen, and this is actually killing the economy.
“Nigerian seamen roam the streets while other nationals occupy our position. But Nigerians can actually do the jobs better. But because of the money they collect from these foreigners, NIMASA prefer to engage them.”
Lawal further alleged that they pay all the shipping companies money yearly for the training of indigenous seamen, “but how many have they trained?
According to Lawal, NIMASA is supposed to take care of the seamen’s’ medicals, “but they direct the seamen to their private special hospitals for medical check-ups and ask them to pay N30, 000, for which receipts are not issued. So, these are some of the things which resulted to the demonstration of the seamen.
‘’Even the certification of the seafarers is not done. So, in actual fact, no department in NIMASA is functioning. We are tired, after writing series of letters to the authority. In other countries, it is the maritime authorities that take care of their maritime workers. ‘’
When asked if the authority has been informed before the protest, Lawal said letters had been written to that effect, but that no adequate response came from it.
“In fact, this is not the first protest. But this time around we are very serious about it.
“We are demanding that all these departments that are not functioning should be scrapped. The Nigerian seamen should be happy because there are enough jobs for them. The seamen should be able to provide for their families and this is possible,” Lawal stated.
‘’All over the world, we see how seamen in other country enjoy. Instead of these companies dealing with our association directly, they now go through NIMASA thereby bringing in their own nationals,” he further said.
‘’NIMASA gave us a pool and abandoned us there. The fact is that some of NIMASA officers own these shipping manning agencies that do job placement, he added.
Lawal urged the Federal Ministry of Transport to do something about their problem, because it is the government that put the maritime workers union in place, and “we are legitimately registered by labour”.
Lawal noted that on every cargo, either dry or wet, there are seafarers on board and they provide different services.
“So, all the excess of NIMASA should be checked. The request for job placement should be directed to our association. I should be made to take further care of our medicals; this is what is obtained in other countries.
When confronted with these complaints, the Spoke man of NIMASA, Mr. Gbenga Ogunsakin said the case is not new, but that the heads of the department concerned are looking into the matter, adding that these officers are new in these departments including the Director-General, Mr Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi.
He said NIMASA is ready to take care of the seamen and that the new management is willing and ready to actualize this.
Ogunsakin said a meeting between NIMASA and the leadership of the maritime workers had been scheduled. ‘’So, we are going to discuss all the issues and find lasting solution to them’’ he assured.
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