Vincent Toritseju
08 January 2019, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, NAMM, has called on the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA to carry out an audit exercise on the academic staff of the academy.
Speaking to a selected group of maritime journalists in Lagos over the weekend, president of NAMM, Capt Tajudeen Alao disclosed that a situation where a graduate of geography is teaching a course like Nautical Science has left much to be desired.
Alao also said that such a teacher can never make the desired impact on the students adding that if such an audit was carried out, the academy will not pass it.
He explained that if the academy fails a personnel audit exercise, it means that certificate from that institution will not get international recognition.
Explaining further, Alao said that the work of a seafarer is very technically oriented adding that it is not meant for just anybody.
He said, “You cannot be a referee in a game you know nothing”. He stated.
“Whoever must teach Nautical Science, that person must be a master mariner,
“It is not enough to just pass exams, you must study very hard to be on top of your game at any point in time.
“There are courses you must score 60 and sometimes 80 percent before you are considered to have passed.
“I that trained in Singapore, I have never seen where the Director of Nautical Science is a Geography graduate, such a person must be a Master mariner, if it is engineering, he must be a marine engineer.
“As a Director of Nautical Science, you must be able to know about the challenges that come with such responsibility.”
Similar, the group has also reiterated its move to checkmate the influx of foreign seafarers with certificates that cannot be substantiated saying that “Foreign fake certificates are awash in the Nigerian shipping sub-sector.
Alao said that NAMM will continue to collaborate with government agencies on the issue of engaging seafarers with fake certificates.
