Michael James 04 June 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has restated the commitment of the agency to ensuring that all beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, conclude their programme by getting sea time training.
Dakuku made the commitment at the second edition of the maritime students conference in Lagos, noting that discussions were in advanced stage with some reputable maritime institutions across the world to facilitate sea time training for the graduates from the programme.
The NIMASA director general, who was represented by Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Isichei Osamgbi, stated that the agency’s budget for 2017 gave priority to capacity development, particularly acquisition of sea-time training by the NSDP graduates.
“Arrangements to ensure that all graduates from the NSDP project acquire sea-time training has reached advanced stage.
“NIMASA is in the process of firming up all arrangements with select maritime institutions with capacity to directly facilitate sea-time training for our graduates. This direct approach is more effective and cost saving. Once the budget for 2017 is signed into law, the process will become faster”, he said.
Also speaking at the event, a former Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, noted that the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme has been improved upon by all administrations in the agency since it was introduced.
While urging youths to seek a career at sea, Mr. Omatseye described the maritime industry as capable of providing the much-talked about jobs for the teeming youths.
So far, 1,045 beneficiaries have passed through the NSDP, representing 42% graduates of the over 2,500 NIMASA-sponsored beneficiaries.
The NSDP project was floated by NIMASA in 2008 to curb the dearth of trained and certified seafarers in the country, which was identified as an impediment to Nigeria’s robust participation in the global shipping business.
