Nigerian Newsday

The Federal government has announced its determination to produce not less than one million seafarers within the shortest possible time. This is in order to earn hard currency from the global shipping industry.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Hassan Lawal made the disclosure on the occasion of Nigeria’s formal commissioning of the Seafarers Identification Document (SID), expressing regret that out of about 5,000 cabotage vessels working in Nigeria, there were actually less than 10 percent Nigerian Seafarers working on them.

Lawal said that while the formal commissioning had placed Nigeria as the second country after France to ratify the convention, and the third country globally, he stressed that the citizens have nothing to celebrate until the authorities utilize the project as tool to create massive employment opportunities for the teeming jobless Nigerians presently roaming the streets.

The minister then tasked NIMASA to run with the new government vision, by re-enacting the "Philippines miracle" whose seafarers presently remit over $12.6 million home annually from earnings from the global shipping industry.

He charged NIMASA to collaborate a inter-agency levels to ensure that the formal commissioning of the SID did not end in rhetoric, but actualized into a worthy tool for economy of the entire country.

Speaking earlier, the Director General of the International labour organization in Nigeria, Mrs Sina Chuma-Mkandawire lauded Nigeria for its speedy pursuit of policies that enable Nigeria become the first African country to ratify and implement the SID convention.

Mkandawire, who was represented by Mr Chinedu Moghalu stated that Nigeria had so far ratified about 8 conventions, praising the country for having pursued the objectives which has now opened for Nigerian seafarers, new windows of opportunities internationally.