Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — In a bid to enhance the employability of Nigerian seafarers, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has commenced moves to fine-tune the integrity of seafarers’ certificates issued by Nigerian government.
Speaking on the sideline of the commissioning of two brand new tugs boats in Lagos, Director General of the NIMASA Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said that the agency has put measures in place to ensure that the process of issuing its Certificate of Competency, COC, is internationally
Mobereola also said that the process will make the issuance of the COC to be accepted not only in the Gulf of Guinea, GoG but all over the world.
The NIMASA stated that Nigeria has very competent seafarers, but the process of certification is what is currently at stake.
“I have been looking at ensuring that our process of issuing our CoCs is one of internationally recognized process so that it can accepted not only in the Gulf of Guinea regions alone but in internationally so that our seafarers can go and work on U.S. vessels, U.K registered vessels, Bermuda registered vessels and all of those processes.
“It is a just matter of process; it is not that we do not have the competent seafarers, it is not that we do not have a process in place, it is just to ensure that this process is fine-tuned in such a way that it is internationally acceptable to the shipping companies and that is what we are working on,” he said.
Recall that the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, NMNO/WTSSA, has decried the non-availability of a multilateral agreement between Nigerian and other maritime countries, a development that denied thousands of Nigerian seafarers employment in the seafaring sub-sector of the Nigerian maritime industry.
Engr. Joseph Yousuo, disclosed that Ghana has mutual agreement with almost 30 maritime communities hence the recognition of Ghana’s Certificate of Competence.
The agreement, according to Yousuo, has also led to Ghana dominating seafarers’ employment in the sub-region and called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to open up talks with other nations on the matter.
On the lack of class 2 and 1 certification, the group suggested that Maritime training in Nigeria should have both their facilities and personnel upgraded so as to meet international standard for the issuance of these certificates with a view to enabling Nigerian seafarers work on board foreign and bigger vessels.
Yousuo also called for tax exemption for seafarers adding that Nigeria is the only country in the world that still tax their seafarers noting sailors spend most of their time in the sea but tax is levied on the place of abode.
“Most Nigerian seafarers are unemployed. With the Cabotage regime in force, unemployment of Nigerian seafarers will be a thing of the past. Waiver should not be an option, it is inimical to Nigerian seafarers.
“Some shipping companies mostly trawlers terminate sailors’ employment without due process. We urge NIMASA to call the employers of labour in this category to be mindful of the disregard to the rights of an employee.
“NIMASA as the regulatory agency should as a matter of urgency issue a Marine Notice to all seafarers’ employers engaged in this slavery attitude to take caution about the non-payment of wages and under-payment to Nigerian seafarers as this is the current trend in our maritime sector. A sanction should be placed on any company with such an act,” he said.
Stakeholders in the maritime industry have raised concerns over the challenges that seafarers who hold Nigeria’s Certificates of Competency (COC) face on the international stage.
Despite the universal standardization of COCs, Nigerian seafarers struggle to secure employment abroad, a problem attributed to the perceived quality of training received at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron.
Speaking at the just concluded quarterly meeting of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariner, NAMM, a foremost ship owner and Master Mariner, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, stated that the COCs are universally standardized and should theoretically be recognized worldwide.
He however, pointed out that the challenge lies not in the certification itself, but in the perception of how it is obtained.
While praising MAN Oron for its well-managed operations and commendable facilities, Iheanacho highlighted that despite these positives, the institution has not fully achieved the primary objective of its establishment, which is to produce Standard Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW)-compliant officers.
He said: “The COC is the same everywhere. You don’t have COC that applies to Nigerians and you have a COC that applies to people in a different type of country. But why you cannot force the people to employ Nigerian seafarers is because of their perception as to what you do to get your COC. So, if you are beautifying Oron all the time and Oron has got a swimming pool that’s Olympic size, and has lawn tennis courts, you don’t swim to become a seaman, you don’t play lawn tennis to become a seaman. So, you’re developing a different culture.
Amidst ongoing debates among stakeholders about the international acceptance of certifications awarded by maritime institutes in Nigeria, a Senior Lecturer at the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology (FCFMT), Dr. Fola Ojutalayo provided clarity and assurance that the certifications provided by accredited Nigerian maritime institutions are fully-approved and accepted internationally.
Dr Ojutalayo highlighted that Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as Nigeria’s maritime administration, is the only regulatory agency with the capacity and legal responsibility to certify maritime institutions in the nation. He further clarified that any certification approved by a maritime administration, that is itself certified by the IMO must be accepted internationally.
The lecturer reassured stakeholders that the training and certification provided by his institution are fully accredited, certified, and internationally recognized, ensuring that Nigerian seafarers can confidently seek employment and opportunities worldwide.
“This institute that provides these services is fully accredited, certified and approved by NIMASA and anyone that any administration approves all over the world must be accepted by any other country, because the administration is representing IMO in that country.
“So that is why you can see Indians can come here and work, Nigerians can travel to Singapore and work, wherever you get yourself, as long as it is certified and approved by an IMO-approved administration” Ojutalayo said.
