Nigerian Seafarers Lament Prevalence of Mushroom Private Training Institutions, Manning Agents

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Seafarers in Nigeria under the aegis of Seafarers Branch of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) have said that there are lots of mushroom seafarer training academies scattered around the country, and that many of them are not meeting up required standards of operation.

Newly elected President of the Seafarers Branch of MWUN, Comrade Sunday Avoseh stated this while chatting with journalists in Lagos.

The unionist equally raised an alarm over the existence of illegal manning agents, swindling Nigerian seafarers and issuing them with slave contracts.

The MWUN President urged the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to address the scourge of roadside manning agents, and to ensure that the Cabotage Act is implemented to the letter.

Speaking, Comrade Avoseh said there was nothing wrong with Nigeria having private maritime training institutions, provided the laid down standards are being met.

“Private institutions are not different from private universities, if you look at our educational system in this country, right from the primary to the secondary, even to the higher institutions, there are private licensed institutions and there is a body regulating them like the Nigerian Universities Commission”

“So, if NIMASA can ensure that the private institutions meet up the minimum standard required, I think it is for the betterment of the industry. But the truth is that, what we have right now are mushroom private training institutions that are not meeting the standards”

Comrade Avoseh cautioned Nigerian seafarers to desist from signing roadside contracts which would further enslave them. He said that any seafarer who signs a job contract with presence of the union is only enslaving himself.

“This is why NIMASA needs to do something about roadside manning agents, as I speak to you now, we don’t even have an authentic list of manning agents registered in this country”

“It is to the detriment of the seafarers to run away from recognised institutions to go and enslave themselves”

“There was an incident sometimes ago when a seafarer went to sign a contract without the union, when they were on Congo waters, the vessel capsized, and till today we couldn’t find him”

“So, it is to the interest of the seafarer, whatever the union is pursuing is to their benefit, this industry is such that you cannot be onboard and fight for yourself, that is why the union is here to do a lot of advocacy on their behalf, so that they can get the best welfare package that their counterparts are getting anywhere in the world”

“The disadvantage of a seafarer going to sign roadside contracts is that they would not be able to sign the right article, some of them do not even know the terms of the agreement they are signing, but in a company that has a collective bargaining agreement with the union, you are sure that there is a document that spelt out your welfare”

Comrade Avoseh pointed out that implementation of the Cabotage law as it is being carried out by NIMASA today is annoying, adding that foreign ratings are still very much on Nigerian waterways doing the job of indigenes.

“It is annoying to still see foreign ratings on our waterways doing the job of Nigerians. The Act that established NIMASA has empowered it, all they need to do is to bite”