Marine Surveyors Bridge Gap for Dying Profession, Graduates 50 Students

The Center for Marine Surveyors in Nigeria has commenced moves to bridge the gap currently being experienced in the marine surveying sub-sector of the Nigerian maritime industry as it graduates its first set of 50 students.

Disclosing this to journalists in Lagos on Monday, President of the Center, Engr Akin Olaniyan said that the decision to grow a younger generation of marine surveyors was to ensure that Nigeria does not lose out of the lucrative jobs and businesses in the sector to foreigners, adding that there were not enough surveyors in the industry presently.

Olaniyan also said that without the requisite training in marine survey, it is impossible to have a good understanding of the industry or key into it and partake in the businesses therein.

He explained that the total number of marine surveyors in Nigeria are a handful and that the sector is a small community where everyone know each other as most of the hands got trained informally.

He said: “Becoming a marine surveyor is a onetime training, it comes with years of experience, without raining, you cannot understand your potential. Having this academic training is not enough, many of us got training informally through experience and through those of us that are Classification Societies.

“So because of this we came together where we can have an avenue to train the next generation of people and having this is not enough to make you a surveyor, the training will give the spring board to gather the experience.

“We have trained over 50 people and these people can spread the gospel according to surveying, we can never have enough marine surveyors in Nigeria, like we can never have enough of other professionals. You see, being educated or being knowledgeable or being trained in any profession like marine surveying does not limit you.”

Speaking in similar vein, Director of Programmes at the Center, Capt Tayo Ojutalayo said that the new generation of marine surveyors in Nigeria can compete globally by virtue of the training they have received as they both old and new members are internationally certified.

Ojulatayo also said that the training for the next set of marine surveyors have commenced adding that in the two months, new intakes will return to the classrooms.