The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to extend its trainings to the freight forwarders in the maritime sector so as to guarantee an all inclusive capacity building in the sector.
Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos, the Secretary General of the association, Hon. Increase Uche stated that if the journalists covering the sector could be factored in the overseas training of the agency last year, such gesture should also be extended to the freight forwarders who were no mean contributors to the nation’s economy.
Uche who listed the training of the seafarers under the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) as one of the major achievement of the agency in the last one year however bid the agency to ensure that those cadets trained under the NSDP were gainfully employed at the end of their training.
He wondered why the members of the Nigeria Ship owners Association who said they owned ships would not render any help in absorbing most of these Nigerians being churned out by NIMASA onboard their vessels adding that it was a serious issue that needed to be addressed.
How lauded NIMASA for fighting piracy to its reduced rate in the year 2014 adding that the issue of maritime security was seriously tackled by the agency in the year under review.
According to him,” apart from that, NIMASA did well but they need to equally extend that training to other stakeholders like the freight forwarders because last year, I discovered that they sent some journalists to training. It should have been holistic taking cognizance of other stakeholders because the Act establishing them makes provision for that”.
“Then again the issue of capacity building that was absence actually took place with the establishment of maritime institutions that provided trainings and all that also took place and that is good for the maritime industry that without establishing human capacity, we can’t go far. That again we recorded as an added advantage that took place last year”.
“Then you look at that National Seafarers’ Development Programme and all that, NIMASA equally fared well in that aspect but the unfortunate thing was that the first batch of the trainees came back and they started complaining of lack of job because they can’t go and get training and come back and stay idle. So, that aspect, the government and the agency concerned should look into it critically”.
“But I begin to wonder again why the Nigerian Ship owners Association, those people that we feel that own vessels will exist and then the nationals of this country that went for training in seafaring will come back from training and will not get employment. It is a very big issue they need to address”.
“Then again, the issue of trying to revamp the National Shipping Lines which NIMASA is equally championing was a welcomed development that it can go ahead and get that in place. Float the National Shipping Line and let there be fleets that will carry the Nigerian flag so that the corporate image and prestige of the nation will be guaranteed”.
