The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has announced plans to begin the construction of a dockyard in Okerenkoko and a specialised maritime University at Kurutie, all in Warri South west local government area, Delta State.
According to the director-general of NIMASA, Mr Ziakede Akpobolokemi, President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to perform the ground-breaking of the dockyard and shipyard which are expected to build and maintain various sizes of vessels. The president will also flag-off the permanent site of Nigeria’s first specialised university for the maritime sector as part of his tour of the facilities of NIMASA tomorrow.
The president will be conducted round the facilities at the temporary site of the Nigeria Maritime University, which is expected to commence academic activities at the temporary site in Kurutie in September, according to the agency.
Akpobolokemi said these capacity development initiatives would quicken the pace for the development of human capacity that would conveniently take over the cabotage trade in the very near future.
“The establishment of the Nigeria Maritime University is in furtherance of the NIMASA’s passion for building local capacity in the maritime sector and ultimately for the export of manpower. The shipyard facility will compliment this objective,” he said.
The dearth of human capacity in the maritime sector, occasioned by inadequate maritime training institutions in Nigeria, was a major reason that influenced the decision of the National Assembly to endorse the recommendation of the NIMASA to establish a maritime university.
With the establishment of a dockyard and a maritime university, industry experts and investors are hopeful that the tides would soon turn for the better in the maritime sub-sector. They also believe that Nigeria will be able to generate more income with the exportation of maritime labour, rather than losing so much to the Philippines, India and Korea where seafarers handle the bulk of Nigeria’s trade.
A Nigerian frontline seafarer, Captain Innole Ikoh, said, “We have reports that NIMASA’s Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) has graduated 51 cadets, while about 2,505 officers and ratings are currently undergoing various maritime academic programmes in reputable institutions in the Philippines, Egypt, India, Romania and the United Kingdom.
