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NIMASA Tasks Border Communities On Human Capacity Dev
Border communities in the riverine areas have been urged to key into the human capacity development programmes of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as a way of partnering with the federal government.
The co-ordinator of the Eastern Zone, of NIMASA, Mr. Anthony Ogadi, made the call in a paper, “Promoting Maritime Security and Economic Activities in the Nigerian Waters: The Role of Border Communities in the Riverine Areas,” presented at a one-day sensitisation workshop organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Conference Hall, Ijaw House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State last Thursday.
Mr. Ogadi said border communities in the riverine areas should set up maritime marshals that would assist in intelligence gathering on security issues, act as link to government agencies within their dormain, propagate grassroots programmes and projects on security awareness and human capacity development as well as form virtual seafarers pool for NIMASA.
According to him, “with these bridging initiatives by NIMASA and the participation of local communities over time, to key into government programmes, the anticipated synergy and trust would have been developed which would in turn diffuse the current state of insecurity and positively impact the socio-economic development of the communities”.
He disclosed that Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), founded in 2008 in collaboration with some states was in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The NIMASA Zonal co-ordinator further stated that the projection of NSDP had been to create 250,000 jobs in the seafarers profession by 2025, with a target of training 5,000 Nigerians in the next 10 years as seafarers to graduate as maritime engineers, nautical scientists and naval architects.
Ogadi hinted that 800 cadets are being trained under the federal and state governments in partnership with maritime institutions in Singapore, Malasia, United Kingdom, Turkey, Philippines and India.
He said 1,500 seafarers, which included 1,300 cadets and 200 ratings are being trained under the full NIMASA sponsorship scheme, adding that the role of NIMASA includes promotion of the development of indigenous commercial shipping in international and coastal shipping trade, regulate and promote maritime safety, security, marine pollution and maritime labour.
He however noted some consequent socio-economic problems which according to him include emergence of sophisticated crime such as kidnapping, piracy, sea robbery, pipeline vandalism, militant agitation, youth restiveness among others.