•Stakeholders warn of foreign domination
THEY are in their thousands. The exact figure is not known. Some of them studied abroad through the Federal Government's scholarship. Others were trained by accredited institutions in the country.
However, unlike what prevails in other countries, where trainees are exposed to quality sea time onboard vessels, cadets in Nigeria are mostly exposed to classroom stimulators.
The crisis took an embarrassing dimension in the United Kingdom (UK) recently when some Nigerian students at the Liverpool John Moores University reportedly protested against their condition, pointing out that they risked not qualifying for a "certificate of competency" in view of challenges faced in securing sea time onboard ships.
Retired, serving ship captains and other experts who spoke with The Guardian blamed the Federal Government and its agencies such as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for the unfolding crisis.
They likened the situation to graduating from a driving school without any direct encounter with any vehicle.
But the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Maritime Services, Olugbenga Leke Oyewole, who also spoke with The Guardian, explained that a sustainable way to tackle the problem was to empower private companies, adding that a major decision in that regard may be taken next month.
"We (Federal Government) are operating with the prevailing situation. The government is doing everything possible to address the situation", Oyewole added.
He also used the opportunity to advise affected cadets to approach NIMASA for assistance, pointing out that there was the need to involve indigenous ship owners.
In an interview with The Guardian, a seasoned ship captain and former President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, Ezekiel Adewale Ishola, said there was the need to boost indigenous capacity in the interest of maritime sector.
While advising the Federal Government to act fast in the interest of the cadets and the nation's economy, Ishola said a training ship should be made available to the Maritime Academy at Oroh, Akwa Ibom State.
"Our legislators travel abroad and they see how things are done. Without sea time, no professional certification for the cadets. Without certifications, who will take over from the present set of professionals in the sector? We lack enough vessels. There is the need for more vessels", Ishola said.
Another captain who is currently a director in one of the firms operating in the maritime sector said: "It's a worrisome situation. It was not like this in our days. The Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) was there. We benefited from that era. The only way forward now is for the Federal Government to encourage the private sector, especially indigenous ship owners. Foreigners are gradually taking over the maritime sector in Nigeria. The government should act before it's too late."
A source at NIMASA told The Guardian that a department within the agency was doing everything possible to support cadets in this regard.
The source admitted that the number of cadets was high, pointing out that "everybody will be attended to."
Lamenting the demise of NNSL, Ishola said the shipping line played a crucial role in the training of personnel during its era.
According to experts, human capital development in the maritime sector is another viable avenue through which the government can generate numerous jobs as some countries are in dire need of qualified personnel to occupy sensitive positions.
The demise of NNSL in 1995 is believed to have created a huge gap in human capital development in the sector, as qualified personnel are either now retired or now actively involved in other sectors of the nation's economy.
Established by the Federal Government in 1959, NNSL was liquidated in 1995 and all its 21 vessels sold, making it almost impossible to train fresh hands to meet future challenges.
Affirming government's resolve to tackle the challenges of human capital development, Oyewole said the existing administration was determined to support local participation in the sector.
According to Oyewole, the current administration has resolved to "train numerous Nigerians" while plans are underway to encourage indigenous ship owners to participate actively in the sector.
While pledging to facilitate sea time training for cadets, the Federal Government through NIMASA said it had concluded plans to bridge the projected vacancies of 250,000 seafarers by the year 2015.
While explaining in details the benefits of the training programme to the nation's economy in an interview with The Guardian recently, the Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, also appealed to universities and other institutions of higher learning across the country to give adequate priority to entrepreneurship studies.
Akpobolokemi explained at the end of a reception for 41 students sponsored to Indian by the agency under its seafarers' development programme that entrepreneurship studies would play a crucial role in the economic development of the nation.
According to him, the 41 students form part of the agency's first batch, adding that they would be on their way to the UK later this year for a three-year further studies.
Akpobolokemi had explained recently that apart from meeting local requirement for seafarers, Nigeria also intended to commence the export of seafarers to other parts of the world like the Philippines.
"The desire to fast-track the creation of a large pool of Nigerian seafarers by the year 2015, to meet local demand and contribute to the manpower needs of the international shipping community, informed the agency's decision to start a 'fully- sponsored scheme 'whereby NIMASA fully sponsors qualified students.
"Under the scheme, about 1,500 students were examined and screened for the 2012\2013 academic session. Admissions have been secured for the successful ones in various maritime training institutions abroad, to be trained up to degree level in the nautical sciences, marine engineering and naval architecture."
Meanwhile, lack of vessels owned by Nigerians plying international waterways and need for capacity building were some of the issues discussed at the presidential retreat on maritime held last year in Abuja.
Minister of Finance and Co-ordinator of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who was at the presidential retreat, said increasing Nigeria's participation in the maritime sector would not only ensure that most of the incomes were retained locally, but would lead to increased jobs for Nigerians.
She said: "The Philippines for example has been able to position itself as a global supplier of seafarers, creating a lot of jobs and significant foreign income for the country. Why can't we replicate this in Nigeria?"
Oyewole, who spoke in a similar vein, said: "Every other country in the world keeps to their cargoes. They carry them by themselves and they are coming to scrabble for the ones we (Nigeria) have here also. We may not have the capacity but the capacity may not come without government support."
He said the proposed package is structured in a way that indigenous ship owners will be able to acquire vessels. "These vessels will fly Nigerian flag and would be used as training platforms for our people," he said.
Oyewole said the purpose of the proposed bailout package was to empower Nigerian ship owners, adding that the larger economy would benefit from the proposed gesture.
Apart from full sponsorship and collaboration with some state governments, NIMASA is also encouraging agencies, especially higher institutions, to key into the capacity building scheme.
For example, NIMASA said plans were underway to commence maritime studies in four selected Nigerian universities: Niger Delta University, Amasoma; University of Lagos (UNILAG); University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State.
The Guardian