Plans to establish a maritime school at the Yaba college of Technology has received a boost with the acceptance by both the US Consulate in Nigeria and the Nigerian Ports Authority to partner on the project.
This indication was given recently when the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority Mallam Abdul sallam Mohammed met with both the Rector of the college Mrs Margaret Kudirat Oladipo and Ms Helena of the US embassy. The duo had paid the NPA boss a courtesy visit and to formally invite him to join the advisory board of the maritime institution.
Mallam Abdul sallam, in accepting the invitation as a member of the advisory committee said that the Nigerian Ports Authority will ensure that there is a fast- tracking of the process of making available the facility needed for the commencement of the project.
The rector of the college, while providing a insight into the project said that the college recently identified the need for the establishment of a private sector- driven training centre in maritime studies so as to engender a rapid growth and development of this key sector of the economy.
According to her, the college wishes to establish a training centre of international standards with high level collaboration with stakeholders in the maritime industry.
The consultant, marine project of the institution, Captain Abiodun Omoteso who accompanied the rector on the visit said that there is presently a shortage of sailors globally, and that Nigerian Ports Authority is the only institution with an infrastructure for training such professionals in Nigeria, even as he acknowledged the pioneering contributions of the NPA in the training most of the first generation seamen in Nigeria.
In her contributions, Miss Helena of the US embassy said that the United States also has a deficit of 5000 sailors and the preference for recruitment is Africa and that his is expected to come up over a three-year period.
According to her, the need to recruit young sailors of African descent informed the need to set up the maritime school in Nigeria.
While recognising the Niger delta youths as good sea men, she also noted that training Nigerian youths as seamen will reduce the high degree of unemployment among youths in the Niger Delta.
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