NIMASA: Bridging manpower gap in Nigerian shipping sector through NSDP

In the last one decade, the Nigerian maritime sector has been confronted with issues surrounding the dearth of manpower needed to drive the nation’s growing shipping business. This huge gap in manpower supply has left the country with fewer ageing master mariners within the average age limit of 65 years as against the global average of 35 years.

Economically, this alarming gap has also taken away over N960 billion annually as capital flight to foreign seafarers who dominate the numerous jobs in the nation’s shipping sector. The economic loss results from the remunerations paid annually to foreign seafarers employed in Nigeria’s shipping and other logistics supply chain.

Nigeria’s maritime sector started experiencing gap in manpower supply after the demise of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), a foremost national carrier that helped the nation in training the present crop of master mariners who are currently in the peak of their career, BusinessDay checks revealed.

Also, the potential in the nation’s shipping sector is such that the country has a coastline of over 800km; depends largely on importation of finished and semi-finished products and raw materials for the growing industrial sector as well as exportation of its crude oil; and has the potential for creating employment and wealth for a good number of its population.

As part of its determination to help in bridging this gap, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the nation’s apex maritime regulatory agency saddled with the responsibility of building manpower for the shipping sector, in 2008, created a scholarship programme known as the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

NSDP was not only aimed at encouraging Nigerian youths to take to seafaring careers, but also to address the dearth of manpower in the maritime industry, create employment and alleviate poverty in the country. The programme also set out to train about 5,000 Nigerian seafarers by 2015 and 10,000 by 2020 so as to help the economy to earn the much-needed foreign exchange from seaborne trade.

Initially, the programme was planned to be funded by the agency in collaboration with state governments on a 60:40 arrangement where the state government would provide 60 percent of the funding while the remaining 40 percent would be borne by the agency. However, due to the poor response of the state governments, NIMASA created another window that enabled it to fund 100 percent of the scholarship programme while retaining the 60:40 funding with the state governments.

Last week in Newcastle, United Kingdom, 11 cadets from Kaduna and Niger States who were sponsored under the 60:40 funding arrangement bagged Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) degree from the South Shields Marine School in South Tyneside College, Newcastle.

The 11 graduands who are expected to proceed for their sea time experience in December this year before returning to the South Shields Marine School to obtain their Certificates of Competency (COC) include Yusuf Suleiman, Jiya Salihu Mohammed, Zizoh James Anto, John Kefas, Yusuf Jamilu and Sonmi Wuyah. Others are Juliet Inze, Bridget Thomas, Umar Tumaka, El-Yakub Mohammed and Ibrahim Abubakar Anas.

Speaking at the reception for the graduands, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, director general, NIMASA, who expressed the agency’s commitment to full implementation of the NSDP, also noted that about 2,500 Nigerians were undergoing training in various maritime schools in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Egypt, Malaysia, and so on under the sponsorship of NIMASA.

“The graduation of these cadets is our pride and we are delighted to see that the purpose of the NSDP is being achieved. The school they attended is a multinational school and Nigerians are excelling here. This tells you that Nigeria has the potential to excel and we are confident that we will grow,” said the NIMASA DG, who was represented by Isichie Osamgbi, deputy director, public relations of NIMASA.

According to him, only 15 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had keyed into the NSDP initiative. The states are Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Bunue, Kogi, Niger, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Lagos and Ondo.

He further called on other states who have not embraced the programme to do so immediately for the benefit of their indigenes.

In his response, Sonmi Wuyah, a cadet from Kaduna, expressed gratitude to NIMASA and Kaduna State government for giving him the opportunity to benefit from the scholarship. He also told BusinessDay in Newcastle that he opted for Marine Engineering because it was not only a lucrative profession but would afford him the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the nation’s maritime sector.

“I feel so grateful and happy because it is like a dream come true for me. And we really worked hard for it,” said Ibrahim Abubakar Anas, another cadet from Kaduna, who emerged as one of the three outstanding students.

Zizoh James Anto, another outstanding cadet from Kaduna State, explained that the programme was a three-year course – one year of Higher National Certificate (HNC) in India and two years of Higher National Diploma and degree programme in Marine Engineering.

Jiya Salihu Mohammed, another cadet from Niger State, assured Nigerians, especially the people of Niger State, of his contribution to the development of the shipping sector, adding that he had made up his mind to ensure that the Federal Government’s plan to revive the Baro River port in his home state came true.

For Juliet Inze, a lady graduand, the training she had received over the past three years, both at the AMET University in Chennai, India, and at the South Shields Marine School, New Castle, UK, was very demanding.

Eric Bywaters, a lecturer in the Marine Engineering Department of the South Shields Marine School, confirmed that the Nigerian cadets were very good. “They worked hard and they showed a lot of seriousness and commitment to their studies when they were here with us,” he said.

Indeed, NIMASA under the present leadership is fully committed to developing the nation’s shipping sector through capacity building in line with its mandate. This is in line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.