NIMASA Management with NSDP Cadets at the 1st Phase of Sea Time take off

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has flagged off the first batch of 239 graduates from the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, who will proceed to Egypt and the United Kingdom for their Sea Time in compliance with IMO regulations and in fulfillment of the promise by the Dakuku led management to provide Sea Time for Nigerian Cadets.

Speaking at the flag off ceremony, Dr. Dakuku disclosed that the NSDP programme has over 243 Graduates and 1600 cadets at various stages of completing their programmes out of which 887 are ready for sea-time training.
The Director General added that Sea-time training remains a critical aspect of the training of seafarers as it entails practical on board training on sea going vessels, with cadets spending a minimum of nine to twelve months on board ocean going vessels.

In Dakuku’s words “I am delighted to announce to you that the Agency painstakingly chose the Maritime Training Institutions strategically to position Nigeria in bilateral relationships to boost the acceptability of Nigerian Certificate of Competence (CoC) or tickets in other climes with long term goal of providing more jobs for Nigerian seafarers on board vessels from other nationalities. The process and effort put in by the Agency to arrive at this auspicious occasion has been enormous, but it is a social responsibility the Agency has shouldered and we are sure that the Maritime sub-sector of Nigeria will be better for it as the fruit of the reward will be in multiples”.

Specifically Dakuku stated that One Hundred and Fifty (150) NSDP the Cadets ( (77 Deck and 73 Engine cadets) are bound for Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Marine Transportation in Alexandria, Egypt for the commencement of their on-board training in the first phase of the fully sponsored batch.
Also in the first phase, another group of eighty nine (89) cadets will be proceeding to the South Tyneside College (STC), UK for their on-board sea-time training, making a total of two hundred and thirty nine cadets in the first phase of the programme.

Admonishing the Cadets to be worthy ambassadors of Nigeria wherever they may find themselves Dakuku said “You are to be good ambassadors of Nigeria anywhere you go, we expect nothing but the best, given the choice the nation has made especially at a period in our national lives where other sectors of the economy are yearning for funding, we implore you to bring the flair and “can-do” spirit of Nigeria that has caught the attention of the world in various fields like medicine, engineering, law and even ICT across the globe to bear. For the Cadets who did not make the list, there is nothing to worry about, every one of you will be offered an opportunity to go on sea-time in 2018 and beyond according to schedule”.

Twenty outstanding Cadets who emerged with excellent results were given automatic employment by NIMASA.

Barrister Mrs. Margret Urakwusi, Engr. Emmanuel Ilori and Barrister Mike Igbokwe (SAN) amongst others celebrated the outstanding Cadets with cash prizes to support them and encourage other aspiring Seafarers.