A former Managing Director of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), Engr Gerald Chidi has attributed the various challenges facing Nigerian seafarers such as lack of adequate training and sea time to the death in 1995 of the national carrier.
Engr Chidi said this recently in an interview with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos on the sidelines of induction of new members and award night of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS).
He recalled that in the 1970s, Nigerrian Ports Authourity (NPA) engaged Pakistanis, Egyptians and Indians as pilots, but noted that when NNSL came in, it started very aggressive seafarers training.
He said the training that was offered by the NNSL were hands-on and that many of the trained seafarers were engaged on board NNSL vessels, while many worked in various maritime organisation, both ashore and offshore.
“Talking about manpower, in the 70’s NPA empowered Pakistanis, Egyptians and Indians as pilots but when NNSL came in they started very aggressive seafarers training. They were training and there was scholarship board, this is one area that the government did not appreciate.
He acknowledged that the NNSL was offering adequate training for seafarers in collaboration with NPA. He said the duo “trained so many master mariners and engineers who were not only working in the maritime industry, but they were also working for the NNSL’’, they joined oil companies and even some of them went overseas”.
Engr Chidi, lamented that, “since NNSL was scrapped, I don’t think any attempt has been made to resume seafarers’ training, even as he advised that there was need to go back to the NNSL days when seafarers enjoyed good training.
He however agreed that it was no longer feasible for the Government to wholly undertake the required training.
“I think one of the reasons government should encourage the private sector with their own sea going vessels is because you cannot produce a master mariner or marine engineer from the best university in the world, without sea time. They must have a sea time the time they spend on sea and the one they spend in the classroom is regulated. If you don’t have the right atmosphere to train on the sea you can never be a master mariner”, he submitted.
He also canvassed the need for ships that will fly Nigerian flag, even as he blamed the government for not doing enough to empower the private sector to go into acquisition of ships.
“It is indeed a great pity that Nigerian does not have a national line that carries the Nigerian flag and go internationally since the demise of indigenous shipping line. The government has not done enough to empower people to set up shipping lines”.
But he argued that the Federal Government should not spearhead the floating of a new shipping line.
“I believe that it will be necessary for Nigeria to have ships that will be sailing with Nigerian flag. But I do not believe that the government should be in for front of that, I want the government to create enabling environment to empower the private sector to do that. The government may have shares but not controlling shares because my experience as a managing Director of a government agency has shown me that if government is involved, the company will go the same way with NNSL”.
He also said that the proposed national shipping line will help to boost the economy of the nation and encourage exportation, adding that Nigeria lacks cargoes, because all attention is given to oil.
“I noticed that in the beginning when the NNSL, was incorporated, that is in the 1950’s, one of the responsibilities of the company was the exportation of Nigerian produce like, cocoa, palm oil, groundnut, among others. But even when the shipping companies formed shipping conferences and negotiated the freight rates with the marketing companies, NNSL was a major party and they were always talking against their interest that is making sure that the rate was as low as possible just because of the interest of the Nigerian economy”, he concluded.
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