Blessing Onumajuru and Chioma Anozie
23 October 2009
analysis
The issue of dearth of human capital in the entire transport sector and particularly the maritime subsector has reached alarming stage it has and will continue to be discussed in different fora. The purpose of the continued discussion is to find a lasting solution to this nagging issues which has become a national problem.
Ordinarily,one would have allowed the matter to be confined threshcan of history but for the fact that somebody made news out of manpower development in the maritime industry.
Mr. Temi Omatseye, director general of Nigerian maritime Administration and safety agency-NIMASA told the world not long ago that the agency will be training about fifty thousand (50,000)Nigerians in the act of seafaring to enable such youth work a board vessels as professional seamen. And we clapped for him. For ever thinking of creating such a huge job opportunities for Nigerians.
At that occasion, he revealed that some states have indicated interest to have their citizens trained while others had already completed the process of sending their own citizens to India, the country where the training was meant to take place. He made the gathering to know that there will be counterpart funding as the states are meant to make some monetary contribution to those they are sending for such programmes. this is our bone of contention..
Yes, we did clap for him. but after a deeper thought into the possible rigours of getting such opportunities in Nigeria, I was tempted to withdraw my hand claps. Who will be the beneficiaries of the opportunity?
Thee answer the ever smiling and vibrant NIMASA helmsman will readily give is,-the poor .but I beg to disagree .it is debate-able if 200 out of 5,000 to be trained could be traced to poor homes . it becomes worst when the state is meant to make a monetary contribution in the whole exercise. Isit possible that a poor man in the street of Nigeria ,could just be in his house and a call will come from state house asking him to release his son or daughter for training abroad without a connection to the Governor's office.
This is the point ,the frustration of the poor peasant farmer starts certainly , that is the edge the so called rich men and politically connected people have over them.
Considering the pictures above, it becomes almost impossible to believe Mr. Temi Omatseye when he told his audience that the training would be for all .looking at the situation which could be said to be real ,it becomes very important to, as a matter of urgent important review the system of determining and admitting candidates for such training .while doing that, it will also be wise to really drill the prospective candidates to understand what they are going in for. This is because forcing the candidates to take to job or profession which the p0erson never really like does not make both economic social sense it could be embarrassing to send for such programmes only to hear later that such student(s) absconded his programme for whathe or she may consider as greener pastures.
It is recommended at this point that the apex Maritime house should go to grass root advert drive to pass such message to the youth in the village through their village head who will also vouch for them and stand as their guarantors. such drive for such prospective candidates should kick-start ahead of time for admission on yearly basis .it will enable the agency get the real Nigerian youths to benefit from such scheme.
It is equally recommended and strongly so that the issues of counterpart funding be erased from the process. Some states are naturally richer than others. Not only that states' priorities differ hence what works for Oando and Ebonyi may not sail in kogi and Imo states. Afterall ,if federal Government through NIMASA truely intend to rebuild human capital in Nigeria maritime sector, there are a lot of other areas that should equally be regalvanised for such purposes.
For instance, it is not difficult saying we will train 50,000 Nigerians but what should count most to the trainees is job placement on graduation Believed that Nigerians government is synonymous with abandoning her scholars abroad , lets explain regard that as one of such vices past governments did not take serious.
With the thinking of a new Nigeria , it could be assumed that the students would not be abandoned midway while the programme lasts. From hindsight and available records, most of the cadets trained by maritime agency of Nigeria-MAN, Oron , are lying idle on the streets of Nigeria .while efforts are being made towards more people , something serious had to be done to ensure job is secured for those already trained A situation where a graduate of such a specialized and very important institution could roam the street on graduation for many years , it is a sign that those being conscripted for the Indian programme now may not have hope .The hope one believes could only come if those in the labour market are completely absorbed.
It is ridiculous that in Nigeria ,a cadet from MAN oron now drives 'okada' because their was no job for him after spending many years and monetary resources to get himself such training. The poor situation the only maritime academy in Nigeria find itself makes things very uncomfortable .That has made it pretty discouraging Nigerians accepting to school at MAN, Oron than any other regional academics.
Speaking recently, captain Thomas Kemewerighe , a graduate of the academy said that the greatest problem with MAN, Oron is that it is being run like family institutions. "This is why the academy is not making good progress ". He noted that the cadets seen at the academy does not reflect Nigeria, there is no federal character at all" concluding that Nigeria does not have the caliber of people that could run such specialized institutions ,hence most of the products of the Academy end up as "okada" riders. Taking it from that point of view, it is a food for thought for NIMASA to look at the administrative set up the nation's maritime academy and other such academics that are being planned.
Without doubt, the volume of trade that go across Nigeria international waters, when put side by side with Nigeria's participation in international maritime labour scale puts Nigeria at a very shameful position . even when human resources are surplus in the country ,the skilled manpower in the maritime industry is almost hundred percent lacking . while also talk of human resources or man power development institution (s) that train them especially in Nigeria, should be well developed and equipped to international and acceptable standard.
The instructors must be well rated while every other teaching aid including training vassels must be available and of standard. Considering the huge revenue deriveable from supplying maritime labour both locally and internationally, Nigeria stands a good chance of even sustaining her economy using the acruables from that subsectors of the economy .if the phillipines are surviving become of the revenue returns they make from supplying maritime labour to most part of the world even when they are sparsely populated in comparism with Nigeria, one believes that Nigeria will do better if the potentials in that regard are harnessed to the benefit of the nation.
If what the standard practice of crewing seafarers and Able seamen are still what it used to be, every seafarer crewed or engaged has a royalty paid to his country for that singular person aside from his conventional salary, allowances and other legitimate benefits attached to the contract of engagement. when such is considered in line with what Nigerian ship owners and operators pay either to foreign seamen or domestic seamen, the whole boils down at the need for conserted efforts aimed at building a pool of global standard where those who need seafares or related maritime labourers.
Building a varile and human capacity in the nation's maritime subsector has a lot of advantages attached to it . Aside from reducing the pressures on the on the federal government, a lot of youths would be meaningfully engaged thereby diverting their attention from vices that work contrary to the whims of the government. When greater member of youths are meaningfully engaged ,it also reduces unemployment in the society.
Indeed , the benefits are much high when compared with the investment s that the government may put in such venture, which more reason the issue of counterpart funding should be out of it. The whole training from the take-off should fully be borne by the federal government .it is part of its responsibility to the popoulace. The irony of the whole issues of human capacity development is that almost all the directors general that have headed NIMASA in the recent past talked about it with emphasis.
But what has been the practice is that the agency has always focused on its staffers for training abroad . Facts had it that during the immediate past administration , such opportunities was made like market. If you go to the websites and see any foreign training , you apply for it even when it will not directly impact on the individual's labour at home in NIMASA .
It is hoped that Mr. Omatseye will not thread that unholy part of the past administration. training should be strictly on the job so that when one is trained ,the impact will enhance his or her overall output for the general growth and development of the sector. Those who are not career officers should not be dashed such opportunities because it is a mere waste of resources.
We will continue to watch Mr. Omatseye and his five points agenda even as time flies. Those things he said he will do as 'quick fix', those he regarded as long term projects are very fresh in our memory. As we watch the young lawyers face, we look at his programmes on our laptops to ensure he is running according to schedule.
Yes, he may sound very proactive ,but the saying that the taste of any meal is in the pudding is still relevant even now . Whether Omatseye will deliver accordingly or otherwise especially in the issue of human capacity building and other programmes he lined up for a positively changing maritime industry lies in the future as we wait eagerly to write the history.
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