By Isaac Anumihe

 

The Federal Government has assured that academic activities at the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU) will commence next session.

 Speaking during the celebration of the Day of the Seafarers in Lagos, the  Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, disclosed  that the mandate of the university would include bridging the gap in human capacity in the maritime sector, with particular reference to seafarers now perceived to be in high demand in the country and globally.

 While restating that capacity building remains a focal mandate of the agency, Peterside  observed that continuous capacity building was required in order to ensure the sustainable growth and development of the maritime sector and the country as a whole.

“Learning is a continuous process. When we stop learning,  the sector cannot grow, and by extension the entire country. More so, the country is diversifying its resources and we need trained and competent personnel to man the different sectors of the economy. In this regard, in NIMASA,  there is a rebirth of focusing on our core mandate of which capacity development is topmost in order to realise a virile maritime sector. We,  therefore,  remain committed to the ideals of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Federal Government of making Nigeria a pride in the comity of nations”, the DG said.

 The NIMASA boss however  urged seafarers to remain patriotic in the delivery of services to their fatherland assuring that the agency will continue to collaborate with shipowners and relevant stakeholders in the sector to ensure that their interest is protected.  

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“We are proud of you and rest assured that we will ensure that your interest is protected; in the light of these, we will also ensure that all international instruments pertaining to your welfare are fully implemented,” the DG, assured.  

He further stated that the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) comprising of tripartite stakeholders, have reconvened to fashion out a decent wage and improved working and living conditions for the seafarers in line with the provisions of the convention and comparable to what is obtainable internationally.

“It is therefore expected that once the collective bargaining agreement is signed, shipowners will commence its full implementation”, he stated.  

While assuring the seafarers of the agency’s continuous support, the DG stated that NIMASA will continue to give priority to capacity building initiatives in order to actualize its vision of making NIMASA a world class organisation in line with global best practices. This,  according to him,  has also led the agency to develop a multi-strategy approach to encouraging young school leavers to take a career at sea through the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

Recall that the NSDP initiative of the agency which was conceived in 2008 in order to bridge the perceived gap of seafarers in the country has so far facilitated the training of 2,259 young Nigerians in various fields of maritime studies in reputable maritime institutions in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Romania, India and the Philippines.

Among this number,   a total number of 943 cadets of the NSDP will soon be placed onboard ocean-going vessels for their mandatory sea time, as facilitated by NIMASA with institutions in Egypt, United Kingdom and Turkey.

In March this year, the agency also facilitated the training of 428 seafarers on mandatory courses and other specific areas of specialization for career progression. These include Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), Oil Tanker Familiarization (OTF), Efficient Deck Hand (EDH), International Ship and Port Safety (ISPS) awareness training and specialized training on Dynamic Positioning (DP). ENDS