As NSLM Inducts 21 Cadets For UK Training and Mandatory Sea Time

Flanked by the Cadets are L/R: Ag Rector, of the Academy, Dr. Kelvin Okonna, MD/CEO of NSML, Abdulkadir Ahmed and the VC, NMU, Prof. Florence Oluwafemi

For the Ag Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Dr. Kevin Okonna, it is  a season of unfolding good tidings for the Academy under his leadership from mid November 2024 to date.

Not only has Cadets of the Academy been privileged to engage and interact with Secretary General of the International Organization, IMO, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez,  industry technocrats and leaders; Nigerian ship owners have, in an unprecedented gesture and show of support, recently offered over sixty slots of sea time experience to Cadets of the Academy.

In another epoch making event, the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Ltd, NSML, after a national open screening exercise, has selected 13 Cadets from the Academy and  8 from the Nigerian Maritime University, NMU, Okerenkoko, Delta state, for oversea training and sea time leading to the Certificate of Competency, CoC.

Dr. Kevin Okonna with Cadets of the Academy selected for the training

“It is another expression of our commitment and contribution to national development which we continue to demonstrate in different sectors of our economy. This induction is a direct response by NSML to the issues, challenges and yawning deficit of seafarers globally which we believe needs urgent attention to avoid the manpower dangers threatening shipping in the world” so said Mr. Abdulkadir Ahmed, Managing Director/CEO, NSML while speaking at the induction ceremony held on Friday, December 19, 2025 at the Mariot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Signing of the training MoU between NSML and Maritime Academy of Nigeria

According to the NSML Boss said “We are committed to domesticating international shipping skill sets and standards. We believe that by developing local talents and expertise, we can contribute to the growth and development of the Nigerian maritime industry thus creating opportunities for economic advancement and global relevance. Our commitment to excellence goes beyond cadetship. At present, the NSML Maritime Center of Excellence, MCOE, which is really the administrative body for the Cadetship program, stands as a beacon of world-class training”

“We have, as of last count, secured a UK accreditation for four of our courses consisting of the human element, leadership and management,  electronic chart display, information management system  and the basic liquefied gas tanker operations. We are also in the process of upgrading our facility such that it will become the advanced maritime training center in Africa”

The  twenty male Cadets and one female selected for training in the United Kingdom were officially inducted at a colourful ceremony graced by industry operators from the public and private sectors. Industry professionals charged the Cadets to be good ambassadors  by making the most of the golden opportunity given them by NSML.

The Vice Chancellor of the NMU Prof. Florence Oluwafemi  and Dr. Kevin Okonna, visibly excited by the reality of the event,  thanked the management of NSML for the gesture and  commitment to shipping development in Nigeria.

NSML Management team with the Ag Rector, MAN

According to Prof. Oluwakemi, “This is a dream come true and a very exciting moment for us at NMU. We are grateful to NSML and everyone who has worked hard to make this event possible. In Germany where i studied, we are are taken to factories and industries to know what their challenges are and proffer solutions. In Nigeria, our focus is on the theoretical aspect of learning only. We must combine theory and practicals if we are to industrialize”

For Maritime Academy Rector, the occasion was another moment of immense pride  on the performance of his Cadets in clinching a large chunk of the available slots through their outstanding academic brilliance.

His words “This is another moment of significant joy and pride to us at the Academy. It shows that our hard work is not in vain and it also reflects our global rating and competitiveness among maritime Academies in the world”

“What we are witnessing is the outcome of engagements  with the NSML for the purpose of providing opportunities on board their ships for Cadets of the Academy.  If there were two companies in the world  that we need to choose from or work with, NSML will be our number one choice  because we  have a very long history with the NSML”

“The company had a cadetship training program with us which started in the in the early nineties. Many Cadets from the  Maritime Academy of Nigeria were trained by the NSML for their mandatory sea time and many of them went on to become  top officers operating NLNG vessels. It is on record that the first Nigerian to Captain their vessel is a former Cadet of MAN, Captain Yusuf Abubakar.

Dr. Okonna disclosed that NSML had to vet and audit the Academy training equipment and facilities prior to the selection of the Cadets inducted for the training outside Nigeria after months of negotiations and intense dialogue.

“As soon as I took over the management of the institution, I had my sights  on reactivating that special relationship we had with the NSML.  Today the joy and glory is more than i anticipated because we are not only here to celebrate the conclusion of the process of having an agreement for Cadetship training of Maritime Academy but we are here to celebrate NSML’s own program  for training of Cadets independent of that agreement. So we have a two-pronged  opportunity for training Cadets of Maritime Academy of Nigeria under our own agreement and training Nigerian merchant navigators under  NSML’s own program”

“For us at the Academy this moment signifies renewed hope and golden global prospects for the Academy and Nigeria’s maritime industry”, Dr. Okonna enthused.

Maritime stakeholders are excited by this development which they describe as a new dawn for the growth of the Nigerian maritime  industry.