Former President of Indigenous Shipowners Association of Nigeria, ISAN, currently known as Nigeria Shipowners Association, NISA, Isaac Jolapomo, has called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to provide funding and support for indigenous ship owners in order to reduce incidences of unemployment, cost of sending cadets abroad for training.
Jolapomo who spoke to a news media, not Orient Energy Review Magazine also suggested that NIMASA in her capacity should channel the sea time training funds in the acquisition of more vessels in order to create more employment opportunities for the teeming population in the maritime sector.
He said: It is part of what we are talking about in building indigenous capacity because it is only the Nigerian shipping company that can employ or make available spaces for sea time for these cadets.
“This one we are spending money and taking them abroad, to Egypt, we spend money to take them abroad to go and have sea time, it is a waste of money.
“That money we are paying, those hard currencies we are paying is enough to acquire some vessels to loan it to indigenous operators, acquire these vessels and take these people on board and when they finish you also employ them because 95 per cent of those graduates are idle.”
Jolapomo also called on NIMASA to disburse the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund, CVFF, to enable ship owners to acquire vessels in order to increase maritime contributions to the gross domestic product, GDP, of the country.
“I don’t know when they are going to start disbursing this CVFF that will enable indigenous operators to acquire vessels and employ Nigerian seafarers because it is all those factors that will increase maritime industry contributions to GDP.
“If those things are not put in place it is just mere stories and propaganda.
“NIMASA supposed to put a lot of things in place because when you are talking about increasing GDP you will talk about increase in indigenous participation in shipping.
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