Marine, fisheries cadets laud NIMASA

Marine/Fisheries Cadets Association has lauded Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for allowing the restart of the cadets’ training programme in the country.

The association’s president, Ben Okotete, said the training programme in marine and fishery was initiated by past military administration through the then Nigerian Maritime Authority (NMA) to train Nigerians in the ratio of 60 percent for the Niger Delta indigenes and 40 percent for those from other parts of the country.

He said the distribution was deliberately reeled to compensate the Niger Delta region following the removal of the fishing facility at Koko, Delta State.

“With special instruction from the then Supreme Military Council (SMC) the training vessels originally owned by the Federal Government were sold under privatisation to investors with requisite capacity to train the cadets”, the president said.

Okotete further said that the training programme was stalled by those who did not believe in zoning formula and others who, for selfish reasons, were against the programme.

The association, therefore, thanked NIMASA for bringing back the training programme. They also thanked the local and foreign investors led by Henry Omorodion who stood their grounds during the period, with a strong belief in the transformation of the marine/fishing industry in Nigeria.