Pix: Mr. Danjuma Mika’il Dauda, Director,
Maritime Safety and Security Federal Ministry of Transportation (3rd from
right), Prof. Alsnosy Balbaa, Coordinator of the African and Asian affairs
of the Arab Academy in, Egypt, the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and
Cabotage Services of NIMASA Mr. Gambo Ahmed (in white), with the
Coordinator of NSDP scheme Barr. Victor Egejuru and Mrs. Aisha Salisu of
the NSDP Team in NIMASA during their graduation ceremony in Egypt.
The Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), an initiative of the
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has once again
graduated 130 cadets from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and
Maritime Transport in Alexandria, Egypt. This feat has further increased
the pool of Seafarers in the sector as it brings to a total number of 1,045
graduates from the NSDP project, representing 42 percent graduates of the
over 2500 NIMASA sponsored beneficiaries.
Disclosing this at the graduation ceremony in Egypt, The Director General
of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside noted that NIMASA sponsored over 2500
aspiring cadets to the best maritime institutions around the world
including Egypt, Romania, The Philipines, United Kingdom as well as India.
Giving a breakdown, he said 226 graduated from the Arab Academy in Egypt,
76 from South Tyneside, Newcastle in England while 743 graduated from
various partner Universities in The Philippines.
The Director General who was represented at the event by the Executive
Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services of the Agency, Mr. Gambo
Ahmed congratulated the graduands who had their degrees in various maritime
related disciplines ranging from marine transport and logistics, nautical
engineering and enjoined them to bring to bear the knowledge acquired to
improve on the fortunes of the Nigerian maritime industry.
The Director General further disclosed that the school has offered to
partner with NIMASA in providing sea time training for the graduating
students and other NSDP graduands from other schools, which has hitherto
been a challenge. This he noted will further complement the Agency’s other
efforts in getting sea time training for graduate cadets.
Dakuku added that NIMASA is also exploring other avenues to enrich the NSDP
programme and reiterated that the impact of the programme would be felt
world over, as Nigeria would soon start exporting Seafarers like the
Philippines and other reputable maritime nations. This he said will reduce
unemployment in the country and attract the much needed foreign exchange.
The graduands were full of appreciation for the opportunity granted them to
excel by NIMASA and pledged to use the knowledge acquired to enhance the
Nigerian maritime sector. Speaking with the Coordinator of NSDP scheme,
Barr. Victor Egejuru, Deputy Director, Maritime Labour in NIMASA, the
youths thanked the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and Management
of NIMASA for the opportunity given them to progress in their chosen career
and in growing capacity in the maritime sector.
In attendance at the event were Mr. Danjuma Mika’il Dauda, Director,
Maritime Safety and Security Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mrs. Aisha
Salisu of the NIMASA NSDP Team and Prof. Alsnosy Balbaa, Coordinator of the
African and Asian affairs of the Arab Academy who tutored the NSDP students.
It would be recalled that the NSDP initiative 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. It is expected that the programme would bridge
the knowledge gap and enhance the economic benefit of the sector as well as
place the country in the league of advanced maritime nations.