By Godwin Oritse

The Center for Marine Surveyors in Nigeria has commenced moves to bridge the gap currently being experienced in the marine surveying sub-sector of the Nigerian maritime industry as it graduates its first set of 50 students.

Disclosing this to newsmen in Lagos, President of the Center, Engr Akin Olaniyan, said that the decision to grow a younger generation of marine surveyors was borne out of the fact that Nigeria should not lose out of the lucrative jobs and businesses in the sector to foreigners adding that there were not enough surveyors in the industry presently.

Olaniyan also said that without the requisite training in the marine survey, one cannot have a good understanding of the industry and how one can key into it and partake in the businesses there.

He explained that the total number of marine surveyors in Nigeria is a handful and that sector is a small community where everyone knows each other as most of the hands got trained informally.

He said: “Becoming a marine surveyor is a one-time training, it comes with years of experience, without training, you cannot understand your potential. Having this academic training is not enough, many of us got training informally through experience and through those of us that are Classification Societies.

“So because of this we came together where we can have an avenue to train the next generation of people and having this is not enough to make you a surveyor, the training will give the springboard to gather the experience.

“We have trained over 50 people and these people can spread the gospel according to surveying, we can never have enough marine surveyors in Nigeria, as we can never have enough of other professionals. You see, being educated or being knowledgeable or being trained in any profession like marine surveying does not limit you.”

Olaniyan also commended its partners for their contribution towards the growth of the Marine Survey sub-sector, particularly the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, for the sponsorship of thirty of the graduating students and Wider Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt for keying into the vision of the Center.

Speaking in a similar vein, the Director of Programmes at the Center, Dr Tayo Ojutalayo, said that the new generation of marine surveyors in Nigeria can compete globally by virtue of the training they have received as they both old and new members are internationally certified.