The director general of the Nigerian Marítime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, has disclosed that 375 cadets of the Nigerian Seafarers’ Development Programme (NSDP) are undergoing Seatime training.
The NSDP was created by NIMASA in 2008 with the mandate of training Nigerian youths to become seafarers and naval architects. The programme was designed to train Nigerian youths up to degree level in Marine Engineering, Nautical Sciences and Naval Architecture in maritime training institutions abroad and to position them to compete effectively in the global maritime industry.
However, speaking to journalists, during a capacity building workshop tagged “Harnessing the Nation’s Blue Economy: A Legislative Approach” organised for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration in Lagos, the NIMASA DG, stated that so far, a total of 2,476 cadets have enrolled in the programme out of which 979 have graduated and obtained their certificates of competency (COC).
Jamoh also disclosed that no fewer than 12 beneficiaries of the NSDP have died over the past 14 years and153 other beneficiaries withdrew from the programme.
The NIMASA DG, in his presentation titled NIMASA and the Blue Economy, assured the lawmakers of the commitment of the agency to be the leading maritime administration in Africa, and in advancing Nigeria’s global maritime standing.
“Our vision is to achieve and sustain safe, secure shipping, cleaner oceans and enhanced maritime capacity in line with best global practices towards Nigeria’s economic development,” he said.
The vice chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Hon. Uduak Odudoh, who led other members of the committee on a visit to Lagos assured NIMASA of the lawmakers’ full support in harnessing the nation’s vast marine resources.
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