The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it will be sending a fact-finding team to Philippines over the recent protest by some of its cadets studying in the archipelagic country under the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
A statement by NIMASA described the development involving NIMASA’s NSDP 2013 cadets as seen in a recent video online as unfortunate, adding that the agency has been monitoring the development.
In the viral video, a group of Nigerian NSDP cadets were seen protesting at the Nigerian Embassy in Manila, Philippines, over alleged refusal by the embassy to receive and also listen to their grievances against NIMASA.
In the video, the cadets alleged that they had been abandoned by NIMASA, stressing that they had been in the Southeast Asian country for almost 10 years.
They also lampooned the embassy for denying them access and failing to grant them an audience.
The statement by NIMASA stated that the agency has received ministerial approval for an assessment visit this October to ascertain, first-hand, the issues to fully and finally address them.
“Our Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Victor Ochei, will lead the fact-finding mission to the Philippines to engage with the school and the cadets. As responsible management, we must deal with this from an informed position, as the matter far predates this administration.
“While we regret the embarrassment this may have caused all concerned; we urge caution and avoidance of any speculative reporting until the official outcome of the on-the-spot evaluation to the Philippines is submitted,” the statement said.
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