As the world marks the International Day of the Seafarer, Women in Maritime Africa (WIMA), Nigerian chapter has called on the Federal Government to prioritize better remuneration and pension schemes for seafarers, recognizing their vital contributions to the nation’s economy and the challenges they face in their demanding profession.
The President of WIMA Nigeria, Mrs. Rollens Macfoy, made this call in a goodwill message disseminated on Wednesday as the world marked the 2024 Day of Seafarers designated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The group called on the federal government and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety agency (NIMASA) to ensure that seafarers are handsomely remunerated like their foreign counterparts. “The issue of a special pension scheme for seafarers to prepare them for good retirement should also be considered. The trauma of the job they do is enormous as the fact that they render special services cannot be over emphasized or compared with no other profession.”
“There is also the issue of ill-health and treatment while onboard, but this should be properly harmonized and put into laws to avoid careless deaths. We should recall that even in the worst of times like the COVID-19 lockdown, seafarers continued to work,” Macfoy said. According to her, the International Day of the Seafarer is a day to honour the world’s over two million seafarers whose dedication and professionalism keep the vast majority of world trade moving safely.
Meanwhile, she lamented that female seafarers are yet to be generally accepted in the industry as there are only about less than 2% women in the global world while Nigeria has less than 0.5% female seafarers. “As we celebrate seafarers today, I appeal to NIMASA and ship owners’ association to welcome the idea of female seafarers and also encourage them, let us realize that for it is the quality of work they will deliver and not their gender.”
“Seafarers are important for the economy input they represent. But for me, as a foremost female Seafarer’s care giver, who has also passed through the training before becoming their care giver, I call them the Heart Beat of Nations.” “As we celebrate the seafarers today, 25th June 2024, I use this medium to appreciate seafarers all over the world, particularly Nigerian seafarers, who have had about the largest heat of this job as they continue to provide these essential services under the unprecedented and difficult conditions heralded by politics,” she asserted
