SEAFARING: FG Should Ensure All Foreign Vessels Take Up Nigerian Cadets–Capt Ogunsakin

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Capt Williams Ogunsakin, a frontline Nigerian ship captain of more than thirty years, have urged the federal government to institute a policy that would ensure that all foreign vessels plying Nigerian waters compulsorily take up local cadets, and give them a sea time training.

Capt Ogunsakin stated this at the just concluded 6th AMSAY Conference which held in Apapa Lagos.

The master mariner also called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to put a pause on mandatory certificates of cadets who are yet to get employment and stop it from counting, adding that so many of them are wasting money, renewing their certificates every five years even when there is no job placement.

Capt Ogunsakin lamented that the Nigerian waterways is dominated by foreign seafarers and captains, carrying out Cabotage trade, all due to failure of the waiver clause in the Cabotage Act being implemented by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)

“I am not telling you that NIMASA is not trying, but today, our coast are compromised. I am from the sea, my vessel is MT Osichukwu, a 47,000dwt in the Escravos lifting crude oil, so I know what I am saying.
We have nine vessels to enter the Escravos River and I am the only Nigerian captain, all the rest are foreigners.

“We need a National carrier if we want to train cadets, NIMASA is trying by training the boys, they want us to compete internationally, but there are mistakes, we need to compete in our home front first, before focussing outside.

“As it is, the UK trains cadets but they don’t place them on their vessels, Canada would train but would not allow you work on their vessels, you are sent back to your country”

“Federal Government should put a policy in place to ensure that all foreign vessels take up cadets in Nigeria, there is enough to go round”

“Most of the cadets have their mandatories which expires after five years, even when they don’t have anywhere to use it to work.

“If the mandatory keeps expiring in their hands, it means that we the parents are wasting money. What should be done is that, until they get a job before the mandatory starts counting” he said

Capt Ogunsakin stated that the clamour for Unlimited Certificate of Competency (CoC) at this time does not matter, because the seafarers having the Near Coastal Voyage (NCV) cannot even get jobs.