By Stephen Ubanna
Between July, 2020, and now, Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has been much concerned in the training and Certification of Nigerian seafarers.
Jamoh, who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares to listen that the agency investment in the training of seafarers is deliberate and part of its shipping development agenda. Informed sources told The Value News that the Maritime Regulatory had invested a lot to ensure that the seafarers are well trained and qualified to compete with other seafarers in other parts of the world.
Industry stakeholders believe that Jamoh and his management team, may have picked much interest in the training of the county’s seafarers because they are the ‘’lifeblood of shipping and shipping is not only an economic operative of Nigerians but also a key part of the nation’s economic diversification effort’’. Given the number of seafarers that had been trained by the agency over the years may have informed why the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, had urged the agency to hasten up the production of biometric identity cards for dockworkers across the nation’s seaports and oil terminals in the Niger Delta region. The Leadership of the Union, was said to have made Jamoh, the NIMASA, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, described as a listening CEO, to understand that the issuance of the biometric indent cads to the seafarers will ‘’curb crimes at the Lagos port of Apapa, Tincan Island and the south east ports of Onne, Rivers port, PortHarcourt, Delta port, Warri and Calabar port , in Cross river state.
Adewale Adeyanju, Pesident-General, MWUN, had repeatedly said that ‘’the incessant mis-identification of people parading themselves at the country’s seaports are becoming an embarrassment and needed to be solved once and for all with the issuance of the biometric identity cards to Legitimate dockworker.
Recall that Jamoh, the NIMASA Director General, had given his words to flag-off the issuance of the biometric identity cards to the legitimate seafarers last January because all the necessary equipment needed for the commencement of the exercise had procured by the agency.
Barely eight months that the NIMASA boss gave his words to commence issuance of biometric identity cards Legitimate dockworkers, the agency on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, launched the electronic registration platform for maritime labou and issuance of biometric identity cards to legitimate dockworkers, actross the nation’s seaports and oil terminal.
An elated Jamoh, who was represented at the launching of dockworkers electronic registration platform by Victor Ochei, an Engineer and the agency Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage services, had described ‘’the platform as a major step towards attaining full automation of all its processes ‘’.
Given an insider information of how the seafarers registration platform was conceived b his Administration , he disclosed that it a fallout of the need ‘’to establish an independent , robust , integrated information, verification and communication platform that would serve as a system database generation on maritime Labour at the nation’s seaports and oil terminals’’.
He state that the development of automation processes for its operations would benefit the nation’s maritime industry both in terms of ‘’time –saving thereby improving on service delivery as well as building capacity of the nation’s maritime Labour workforce’’.
He may have gladdened the heart of the dockworkers at the launching of the electronic platform for registration of seafarers and issuance of biometric identity cards to legitimate dockworkers when he said that he is particularly delighted about the expected elimination of the time consuming process of seafarers and employers registration which is what the electronic platform is expected to provide in the long run.
He was said to have further stated I his remarks that the electronic platform that electronic platform would ‘’promote a seamless registration process that will culminate with the issuance of biometric identity cards to seafarers and dockworkers’’. The NIMASA helmsman may have taken advantage of the launching of the electronic platform for seafarers , dockworkers registration and issuance of biometric identity cars to legitimate seafarers to reassure the Leadership of MWUN, that NIMASA, remained committed ‘’to building up capacity of Nigerian seafarers and dockworkers in order to improve on the standing of the country’s maritime sector among the Committee of maritime ‘’.
Hear him: I wish to reiterate the agency ‘s commitment towards actualising its mandate as provided in it’s ensbling act’’, noting that that the agency resolve is ‘’to make life more meaningful and to ensure that nation’s entire maritime sector remains firm ‘’.He averred that the agency intend to achieve this through sustainable efforts in capacity building and improved welfare’’
.For now, , the agency according to informed sources is also prioritizing ‘’the training of the country’s seafarers to meet industry needs with emphasis on specialized advanced training’’.
Osagie Edward, and Assistant Director and the agency spokesperson disclosed that Adeyanju, the MWUN, president-General, who could not his feelingS had expressed his ‘’delight with the automation of maritime Labour registration processes by NIMASA, under the current Leadership of Jamoh, stating that the agency had proven that it was indeed committed to improving standards in the nation’s maritime sector in terms of labour practices and capacity development.
Given the importance of the electronic platform to the registration and issuance of biometric identity cads to Nigerian seafarers and dock workers across the nation’s seaports, Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA an Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, at the launching of the platform in Lagos Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and Commissioner of Police, Apapa port were said to have sent Representatives,to the admiration of the seafarers and dockworkers.
