No fewer than 12 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) have died over the past 14 years, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has disclosed.
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.
Speaking 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 on Friday, Jamoh said aside the 12 deaths recorded; 153 other beneficiaries withdrew from the programme.
He said 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 375 NSDP cadets are currently undergoing seatime training while others have completed the training.
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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