Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, reiterated
NIMASA’s commitment to capacity building in the maritime industry, saying
secondary schools in the country are a good place to begin the awareness. Jamoh
encouraged the students, especially those in the sciences, to show interest in
maritime by choosing maritime related careers, especially given the increasing
role of maritime in Nigeria’s economic diversification effort. He said the
current Cabotage regime had opened up many opportunities in maritime for
indigenous investors and professionals.
The Director General announced the setting up of an
endowment seat and scholarships for best students from the school willing to
study maritime related courses in tertiary institutions. He said the Agency was
willing to train such students in Nigeria and abroad.
Jamoh said in pursuit of NIMASA’s mandate to build capacity
in the maritime industry, it was necessary to let students know the careers in
the sector. “From time to time, we do visit schools and, as you are aware, we
have a number of tertiary institutions in the six geo-political zones we are
funding in terms of maritime education,” he stated.
He added, “When it comes to capacity building it is very
important to have a very good foundation from secondary schools before you go
to tertiary institution.”
The Director General said the Children’s Day celebrations
presented a good opportunity to talk to students on the opportunities in the
maritime industry.
He talked about the Federal Government’s resolve to ensure
safety and security in the country’s waters, saying, “We are trying to get it
right through the Deep Blue project that will be launched soon by President
Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are now going out in full force to make sure we avert or
stop this issue of maritime insecurity.”
He disclosed that there had been improvements in maritime
security in the country since the deployment of assets under the Deep Blue
Project began some months ago.
The items presented to the school included books, computers,
and T-shirts.