Lack of indigenous vessels to provide the needed sea training opportunities remains the major problem in the maritime sector but stakeholders had consistently urged the federal government to formulate policies to boost maritime training that would meet international standards. CHINYERE ELELE of the News Agency of Nigeria writes on the need to tackle the problem and help graduates of maritime institutions in the country.
The dearth of competent seafarers has continued to deprive Nigeria of huge foreign exchange earnings paid to foreigners for taking up such jobs even as Nigerians are trained annually at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, and other institutions.
Graduates of the academy and other maritime institutions in the country are unable to practice seafaring as they must first obtain certificate of competence.
Sea training, however, is scarce in Nigeria due to lack of indigenous vessels to provide the needed training opportunities.
Stakeholders in the maritime sector had consistently urged the federal government to formulate policies to boost maritime training that would meet international standards.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA estimate that 50,000 seafarers are needed for the Nigerian shipping industry to realise its full potential.
Mr Kunle Folarin, a maritime economist, noted that graduates of Nigerian maritime institutions are “lying waste because they cannot get certificate of competence as there are no sea training opportunities in the country’’.
Aware of this deficit, NIMASA established the National Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, designed to bridge the gap in training of seafarers.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Mr Ziakede Akpobolokemi, said the pursuit of NSDP would earn foreign exchange for the country.
Akpobolokemi said that the agency would leave no stone unturned to ensure that Nigeria produced 5,000 competent seafarers who would be capable of working on foreign vessels and earn the desired hard currencies.
Available records show that the current average age of Nigerian seafarers is 65 years compared to the global average of 35 years.
Akpobolokemi said that Nigeria would earn up to six billion dollars annually if it had competent and adequate professionals in the maritime sector.
“The NIMASA has put the issue of developing shipping activities in the country on the front burner, and we are committed to tackling the malaise that has bedeviled the sector.
“It must be noted that more than 90 per cent of both in-bound and out-bound cargo in Nigeria are executed through shipping, making the sector too important for the continued growth of the economy to be neglected,’’ he added.
Besides inadequate seafarers in Nigeria, stakeholders are also worried about poor infrastructure at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria’s foremost maritime training institution.
MAN, formerly known as the Nautical College of Nigeria, was established in 1979 with the mandate to “Provide the Merchant Navy, the maritime industry and allied industries with qualitative education and training that accords with up-to-date technology that meets national and international standards and satisfies end-user expectations.’’
The institution is confronted with many problems including lack of training vessels and inadequate funds to expand and upgrade existing infrastructure.
Some of the problems confronting MAN were brought to the fore recently in Oron at a workshop organised for maritime reporters.
Mr Francis Kponu, Director, Specialised Seafarers Training, said that many cadets of the academy who had completed their courses did not have sea time exposure due to lack of training vessels.
According to him, the academy needed funds to provide more infrastructures to cater for the increasing students’ admission.
“In the admission exercise for 2013/2014, only 1,300 cadets who applied for courses of their choice in the academy were fortunate to be admitted out of 10,000 applicants.
“The remaining applicants went home disappointed and thus ended their dream of becoming seafarers,’’ he noted.
The Rector of the institution, Mr Joshua Okpo, also called for adequate funding of the academy to enable it produce students of international standards.
“The country will benefit if there are infrastructure and human capacity development. We need sea time training for seafarers. We appeal that the cadets be trained for five years.’’
Okpo said that the academy had entered into an agreement with ship training facilities in Turkey, Philippines and Georgia to ensure that 250 cadets are placed on board for a12-month training.
Capt. Ejikeme Okwu, Head of Nautical Sciences, advised the federal government to urgently acquire a training vessel for the academy.
Okwu said that government could assign a reputable private shipping company to manage the training vessel for the academy.
He said that the manager of the training vessel should be able to supervise and train cadets on sea time experience.
“Acquiring a training ship will create employment opportunities and generate revenue for the nation.
“If we (the academy) are given a ship, we can give it to a reputable company to manage,’’ he said.
Stakeholders in the maritime sector want the government to provide the necessary support for MAN to enable it deliver on its mandate. (NANFeatures)