NIMASA seeks TETFUND partnership for maritime capacity

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have commenced the process to establish partnership with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to develop human capacity in the maritime sector.

According to a statement signed over the weekend by the agency’s Spokesman, Isichei Osamgbi, the NIMASA Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside stated this during a meeting with stakeholders and Vice Chancellors of the Nigerian universities where the NIMASA sponsored Institutes of Maritime Studies are domiciled.

Dr. Peterside who chaired the meeting which held in Abuja restated the agency’s commitment towards growing capacity in the maritime sector and urged  universities in the country to include maritime related courses in their curriculum, in order to expand the job potentials of Nigerian youths to help grow the economy, as maritime is a global business with vast opportunities.

The NIMASA DG said that a virile maritime trade is an economic asset to any nation and therefore urged the institutes to continuously improve on their maritime curriculum for economic benefits of Nigeria.

He also called on public and private organisations to partner with the agency in ensuring adequate funding of these institutes, stating that it would not be out of place for TETFUND to partner with NIMASA or intervene where necessary in funding them as NIMASA cannot do it all alone.

According to him, “more than ever, we are open to partnership in order to ensure that our maritime sector continues to thrive and impact positively on the Nigerian economy in the long run”

In his address, the Executive Secretary of TETFUND Dr. Abdulahi Bichi Baffa commended NIMASA for the robust and brilliant initiative in establishing the Institutes of Maritime studies in these universities, while announcing that TETFUND will look into areas of intervention.

Present at the meeting were Vice Chancellors of the Universities who attended with the Directors of the maritime institutes, amongst who were; Prof. Rahamon Bello, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos; Prof. Muhammad Maiturare, VC, Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State; Prof. Humphrey Ogoni, VC, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State; as well as Prof. Alhassan M. Gani, VC, Federal University Kashere, Gombe State; and Prof. James Ogbonna, Deputy VC, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

It may be recalled that NIMASA established Maritime Institutes in six Nigerian universities with the expectations that the Institutes will help grow the needed technical manpower which were hitherto only obtainable from institutes outside the country.