Stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime industry have called for a total overhaul of the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP); a youth capacity development project of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
The stakeholders are losing patience with the NSDP, which was launched in 2008 with the aim of bridging the gap in maritime manpower by sponsoring cadets abroad, the programme is now being derided as a conduit for waste and failed promises.
In a chat with our correspondent Edmund Chilaka, a maritime analyst, argued that while the NSDP was a commendable idea on paper, it was poorly executed. “The NSDP could have worked if competent professionals from NIMASA, MAN Oron, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and master mariners had been involved in its design,” he said. “There are over 50,000 job vacancies in the global maritime sector, yet our cadets are stranded due to lack of sea-time and poor planning.”
Apart from Chilaka, several other maritime stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to scrap or overhaul the programme, citing widespread inefficiencies, poor oversight, and allegations of corruption.
These calls come, even as the Nigeria LNG Ship Management Limited (NSML) has attributed the difficulty faced by graduates of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron and beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) in securing placements on its ocean-going LNG vessels to persistent certification bottlenecks and a lack of international recognition of Nigerian-issued Certificates of Competency (CoCs).
Speaking during a recent interactive session with journalists in Lagos, the Managing Director of NSML; Abdul-Kadir K. Ahmed disclosed that, although the company remains one of the most consistent supporters of the NSDP initiative, it is increasingly constrained by the limited global acceptance of the certifications issued by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.
“So far, almost 300 cadets have sailed on our vessels, and we take this very seriously because it aligns with our desire to deepen the Nigerian maritime sector,” he stated. “But unfortunately, cadets trained in Nigeria, particularly from MAN Oron, face certification challenges that limit their opportunities.”
He pointed out that many of the cadets are issued Near Coastal Voyage (NCV) Certificate of Competencies (CoCs) that are not internationally recognized, thereby excluding them from sailing on NSML’s globally-trading LNG carriers. “Let me be very frank,” he said, “it’s not a quality issue; it’s a quality assurance issue. The Maritime Academy of Nigeria has good facilities and curriculum, but unfortunately, the CoCs issued are not internationally accepted for deep-sea voyages.
According to him, while NSML has worked closely with NIMASA in the past—including curriculum evaluation and supporting cadet industrial training—there is an urgent need for Nigeria’s maritime certification processes to meet international standards.
“Our discussions with NIMASA focus on upgrading their systems and processes to ensure their CoCs attain international recognition. It’s about assuring the world that our certifications meet global standards—this is crucial for our vessels which operate globally,” he said.
The NSML boss also disclosed that the company had stepped in to support 65 cadets who studied in Romania but whose certifications were not accepted. “These cadets are completing their sea-time on our vessels and will proceed to a UK maritime academy for a bridge certification programme,” he disclosed..
Despite these challenges, NSML’s contribution remains noteworthy. “In conjunction with NIMASA, we’ve helped over 300 cadets secure their mandatory sea-time, and nearly 100 have been recruited into NSML. Today, 85% of our onboard crew are Nigerians, and we’re 100% Nigerian at our onshore offices.”
Speaking also on the NSDP, Charles Okerefe, a lecturer at the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU), Okerenkoko, and CEO of Kamany Marine Services Ltd, gave a more scathing remark in his assessment.
“The NSDP is a funnel for corruption. I support scrapping it 100 percent,” he said. “There is no simulator, no bridge simulator, and no engine room simulator at NMU—yet millions are being spent training cadets abroad. It’s unacceptable.”
Okerefe recalled visiting Liverpool with a former Executive Director at NIMASA, where they encountered Nigerian cadets stranded without sea-time. “That defeats the purpose of the programme,” he said, adding that frustrated and unemployed cadets are already becoming a social risk in regions like the Niger Delta.
He called for funds allocated to the NSDP to be redirected toward acquiring training vessels and simulators for local institutions. “The Philippines earns over $10 billion annually from seafarers. Nigeria can do the same if we build real capacity. We must stop pretending.”
He also criticized the appointment of unqualified political figures in key maritime roles, saying their lack of sectoral knowledge has crippled policy execution. “Until professionals drive maritime governance, we will continue to waste resources,” he said.
In 2024, NIMASA was criticized after several cadets trained under the NSDP were reported to be stranded overseas without access to sea-time, rendering their training useless. Some insiders suggest that this failure is already fueling unrest, particularly in the Niger Delta, where expectations for seafaring careers remain high.
Meanwhile, NSML, which recently took delivery of the LNG mega vessel Axios, says it is more eager than ever to absorb Nigerian talents, but only if they meet global standards. “We are committed to training Nigerians, but there must be a structured pathway that ensures their certifications are globally accepted,” the NSML MD said
