Vincent Toritseju
01 November 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos — THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has advocated the quick passage of the bill seeking to make the Nigerian Institute of Shipping, NIS, a chartered institute.
Speaking at the 2017 induction ceremony of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping, NIS, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside said that the agency will support the institute to become chartered as soon as possible.
Peterside also said that besides assisting NIS to push for its chartered status, the agency will also do all it can to ensure that the institute takes its rightful place.
He explained that working in the shipping sub-sector is knowledge based and called on practitioners to constantly seek knowledge that will grow the industry.
Similarly, President of the Institute, John Egesi said that professional training of practitioners in the industry have been intensified, adding that the institute has also created stronger ties with shipping firms, terminal operators and operators in neighbouring countries.
Egesi explained that before now, Nigerians travelled abroad to acquire knowledge on shipping, adding that the institute has been able to produce locally qualified shipping practitioners in various fields on maritime endeavour.
He said “So far, we have succeeded in repositioning maritime education and training in Nigeria.”
In pursuit of this, we have intensified our professional training programmes.
“In spite of these achievements, we have been seriously constrained by lack of funds.
“Unfortunately, this situation has not abated because members simply failed to heed our relentless appeals to pay their dues, through which all professional bodies carry out their functions.
“This can also be linked with the national recession in the shipping industry which has affected our members in meeting up with their financial obligation especially those that lost jobs as a result of the downsizing in various establishments across the nation.”
