…Seafarers’ training, a priority- JAMOH

By Dirisu Yakubu

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Tuesday, launched the electronic registration platform for maritime labour and issuance of biometric identity cards to dockworkers.

The agency’s Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh who presided over the event in Lagos,  described the e-platform as a major step towards attaining full automation of all its processes adding that it was conceived out of the need to establish an independent, robust, integrated information, verification and communication platform that would serve as a system database generation on maritime labour in Nigeria.

Represented by the agency’s Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Engr. Victor Ochei, Jamoh noted that the development of automation processes would benefit the industry both in terms of time-saving thereby improving on service delivery, as well as building capacity of the maritime labour workforce.

Je said, “I am particularly delighted about the prospect of eliminating the time consuming process of seafarers and employers registration which is what the e-platform would provide. It is further expected that the e-platform would promote a seamless registration process that would bring about will culminate with the issuance of biometric identity cards to seafarers and dockworkers”.

Dr Jamoh went on to state that NIMASA remained committed to building up the capacity of Nigerian seafarers and dockworkers in order to improve on the standing of the country’s maritime sector among the committee of maritime nations.

He continued: “I wish to reiterate the agency’s commitment towards actualising its mandate as provided in the enabling Act. Our resolve to make life meaningful to the entire maritime labour remains firm and we intend to achieve this through sustainable efforts in capacity building and improved welfare. The agency is also prioritizing the training of Nigerian seafarers to meet industry needs with emphasis on specialized and advanced trainings”.

President General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN,  Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, expressed his delight with the automation of maritime labour registration processes.