The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will today flag off the Maritime Labour Convention, MLC 2006 in the Nigerian Maritime industry.
The Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi who made this known in a welcome address he presented at a special session with ship owners, seafarers employers, Manning Agents and seafarers at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday said that a detailed action plan had been put in place preparatory to the flag off of the convention in Nigeria today.
The Director General who was represented at the event by the Deputy Director, Finance and Administration, NIMASA Haruna Baba Jaro recalled that the Nigeria’s instrument of ratification of the MLC 2006 was presented by the leader of the Nigeria’s delegation, Hon. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Nwogu at the International Labour Organization (ILO) office during the 102nd session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland on the 18th of June, 2013.
He stated that with the development, Nigeria became the fifth state from Africa to have ratified the convention adding that this feat by the country and indeed the agency through the current administration had received wide commendation for keeping faith with the process that was started about eight years ago.
According to him, “the ratification of MLC 2006 is therefore a demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment towards seafarers’ rights as it concerns their living and working conditions in a decent environment.”
“It is important to note that a detailed action plan was put in place preparatory to the entry into force of the convention on June 18, 2014. This special session with ship owners and seafarer employers, Manning Agents and seafarers and the one slated for Lagos on June 17 at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island are part of the processes towards actualizing this plan”.
“It is also an opportunity for ship owners, seafarer employers, manning agents and seafarers to get acquainted with their rights and obligations under the MLC 2006”.
The Director General also disclosed that the bold initiative of ratifying the convention presents benefits to Nigeria in the areas of technical cooperation with other ILO member states especially technical support and training from ILO which had resulted in the training of twenty five NIMASA Labour Inspectors.
He observed that under the present administration, the agency had also committed huge resources towards the training of cadets through various programmes including the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) adding that the agency had recently facilitated the training of over seven hundred seafarers on the STCW to enable update their mandatory certification.
Akpobolokemi who is also the Chief Executive Officer of NIMASA pointed out that the agency was very passionate about ensuring that Nigerian seafarers get placement on both Nigerian and foreign flag vessels even as he assured that the agency was engaging all stakeholders to facilitate the achievement of the objective.
He therefore expressed gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan,the Marine Committees of the National Assembly for their support to the agency’s drive towards ensuring the training and welfare of seafarers under the NSDP and especially the ratification of the convention saying that it was a further testimony of the present administration’s transformation drive while urging all the stakeholders to key into the project.
