Dayo Mobereola, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has refuted claims that the agency plans to withdraw cadets of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) at Centurion University in India.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mobereola revealed that 296 NSDP cadets are currently enrolled at the university.
He described media reports suggesting that NIMASA plans to withdraw the cadets as false, explaining that the agency is merely conducting due diligence on the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure it aligns with the best interests of the Nigerian students.
Mobereola emphasised that NIMASA is not recalling any NSDP beneficiaries from Centurion University but is working to address gaps in the existing MoU. He highlighted several concerns, including non-accreditation of one of the institutions at the time of the MoU execution; unilateral changes to the program by the agent, Springdale Academy of Maritime Education and Training (SAMET), without NIMASA’s consent and additional years of study and funding uncertainties for the students.
“We are not recalling any NSDP beneficiary from Centurion University. We are only working to close out all identified gaps in the existing Memorandum of Understanding before proceeding to the next stage. A situation where the agency entered into a contractual agreement with Springdale Academy of Maritime Education and Training, SAMET with agreed courses and timelines only to be faced with additional course duration and an alien programme by the agent, SAMET, unilaterally converting the programme without the consent of the agency as prescribed by the MoU may not be in the best interest of the students.
“There were issues of non-accreditation of one of institution as at the time of the execution of MoU, change of course from Marine engineering to Mechanical engineering without recourse to the agency, preparing the grounds for additional years of studies and uncertainties for the students, raising issues related to funding, and the various third parties arrangements without duly informing the agency,” he said.
The NIMASA DG also alleged that there is a “sponsored media campaign of calumny” against him but assured that it would not deter the agency from prioritising the safety and wellbeing of NSDP cadets studying abroad.
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