' N16b NSDP investment produced only 100 Nigerian seafarers'

DESPITE the investment of over N16 billion in training 2,476 cadets through the National Seafarers Development Programme ( NSDP) in the past 15 years, only 100 Nigerian seafarers are employed on international merchant ships, representing an insignificant portion of the 78,000 certified seafarers across Africa.

This was disclosed by the International T ransport Workers Federation ( ITF) during the visit of its officials to Nigeria, highlighting a significant underperformance in global seafarer employment from the region.

The NSDP, initiated by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA) in 2008, was designed to boost the number of trained and certified seafarers within Nigeria’s maritime industry and improve their global employment prospects.

Despite these efforts, the ITF has pointed out that the overall number of African seafarers is markedly low compared to the global figure exceeding one million certified personnel working on international vessels.

The ITF'S Africa Regional Secretary, Safiyanu Muhammed, expressed concern over both the whereabouts and employment status of NSDP- trained seafarers, underscoring the disheartening reality that a vast majority of these individuals remain unemployed. According to Muhammed, the situation calls into question the efficacy of the NSDP and the quality of training provided.

The situation highlights the significant gap between the goals of the NSDP and the actual outcomes, with a startling 95 per cent of trained cadets unemployed according to MESAN'S Secretary- General, Captain Alfred Oniye.