Business
Create Diving Schools, Expert Urges FG
Renowned maritime expert and Chairman of Bics Garden, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni, has urged the Federal government to establish a modern, state-of-the-art diving institution to train divers in Nigeria.
Porbeni said the establishment of the institute would create jobs and provide professional training for divers who could operate in diverse sectors such as oil and gas, maritime operations, underwater archaeology, and the marine and blue economy.
The retired Naval Officer, who stated this during an interview with Journalists, decried the situation in which many Nigerians are compelled to seek diving training in foreign countries such as South Africa, describing it as a challenge that requires urgent attention from the government.
“In this country, there are not many divers. Diving schools are very few, so we have foreigners doing diving jobs for us in all areas, including oil exploration, diving and repair, pipeline works and other related fields,
The former Transport Minister noted his experience as a Frogman and naval diver, highlighting the numerous advantages of having skilled divers in the country.
According to him, professional divers are capable of handling underwater tasks such as propeller repairs, underwater pipeline installation, anti-fouling operations, underwater exploration and other critical marine operations.
Porbeni called on the Federal Government to give priority to the development of the nation’s diving sector as a means of creating massive employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
He lamented the continued neglect of the sector, which, he said, holds enormous potential for job creation in the face of rising youth unemployment in the country.
“If Nigerians have to go to South Africa and other countries to be trained on diving, it is a challenge. Hence, there is a need to establish diving schools that will train young Nigerians to become experts and obtain necessary certifications”, he stated.
He also urged government to prioritise the dredging of the nation’s inland waterways and river ports to enhance the transportation system and promote the use of waterways as a viable means for the movement of goods and passengers.
He called for synergy among the critical sectors of government agencies such as the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to improve the development of inland waterways transport.
Chinedu Wosu