UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE NIGERIAN MARITIME INDUSTRY

Unemployment in the maritime industry is growing geometrically as against job opportunities which is moving arithmetically and sluggishly. This situation is a major setback to the progress of seafarers nationwide. Getting cadetship placement has become a herculean task and survival of the fittest for many others.
In this article, we are going to discuss the reasons for the continuous rise of unemployment in present day Nigeria. Stated below are a couple of reasons for such a disorder in the maritime industry.

UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY

1. EDUCATION: Education is the backbone of easy and stress free progression of a sailor’s career. For a cadet who went through college phase to seat for competency examination after his/her sea phase, he/she requires 12- 18 months of sea time experience. For an oiler or cadet without college phase, he/she requires 36 Months of sea time experience. This is to further elucidate on the importance of college education in a sailor’s career. In Nigeria, most seafarers lack the proper educational qualification needed to thrive in the sea trade. Although, to be a Ship’s Master or Chief Engineer; one requires just to possess OND educational certification. This fact has stunted the progress of some sailors because of laziness to go beyond the least required qualification. They forget that certain certifications require higher educational qualification to enroll and undertake. I advise all sailors to thrive for excellence. Undergoing college phase in renowned and accredited institution such as Maritime Academy of Nigeria; https://maritimeacademy.gov.ng/ ,Charkins Maritime and their likes also determine the employability of such individuals. Unfortunately, the admission requirements, number of available entry slot and school fees restrict some individuals from being admitted into such institutions. Some interested stakeholders in the Maritime industry get license to establish maritime institution and training centers which are profit driven. Some of these institutions lack the infrastructure, facilities, machinery/plants and simulators needed to facilitate the training. Thus, they end up producing half-baked sailors who are rendered unemployable. Gaining admission into accredited and renowned Maritime industry is a problem, graduating successfully is a bigger problem for some individuals. During my college phase, some cadets tend to take their studies lackadaisically. Eventually, such cadets end up with poor grades which renders them unemployable. It is believed that grades have nothing to do with employment in Nigeria. We believe it is based on who you know. That is an incomplete school of thought. Certain companies like Starz Investment Company Limitedhttps://starzsshipyard.com/ourleader.html , Tamrose ventures https://tamroseventures.com/# and their likes select their candidates through strings of academic related processes. The first requirement to be met by such companies is a good grade- First Class/ distinction and/or Second Class Upper/ Upper Credit Pass from an accredited institution. Grades matter to most Nigerian companies, so I employ those at the college phase to take their Education seriously. Visit http://www.sailor.com.ng for more details on how to go about your educational aspirations as a sailor.
2. CERTIFICATION: Possession of expired and/or fake certifications can never get you a job. Using such certificates is fraudulent. Even if you are able to bypass validity and authenticity checks, the job become problematic because you didn’t undergo the training required before possessing such papers/certificates. Most seafarers lack the required certifications and this has become a major setback to sea farers. Companies like Tidewater (T1) Marine require seafarers to possess Proficiency in Survival Crafts before being employed. Without such certification, you do not meet their requirements. As seafarers, before complaining of unemployment; ensure to acquire, upgrade and revalidate your certificates. This will prepare you for opportunities that may arise. Getting this certificates is expensive. Most individual lack such funds to enable them acquire such documents/certification. The basic certificate/documents required includes; STCW Basic mandatory, International passport, Seafarer’s Discharge booklet and so on. As officers, some companies use certifications like DP maintenance certificate to reduce prospective candidates. Searching for Jobs without the basic certifications/document required for the rank will only waste your time and resources.
3. CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY EXAMINATIONS (COC): Most Nigerian sailors complain about the complexity of the COC Examinations conducted in the country’s approved training institution.Many of those who had issues passing the examination have attributed this to the complexity of the syllable in the training institution. Usually, majority of those who seat for the examinations have to re-sit a paper(s).Officers or cadets who sit for the examination and are unsuccessful usually lose their jobs. Companies also love progress, they want you as a staff to succeed. The cause of failure in the Certificate of competency examination includes but is not limited to; lack of precision/accuracy, absence from classes, greed. Most sailors prefer to stay onboard and will only show up a week/month to the examination. Doing so, they would have missed a lot of classes. Such persons will find it hard to pass. NIMASA has implemented strict attendance taking, this record qualifies a candidate to sit for the COC Examination. Do not be discouraged, many a few had passed the COC Examination at a single sitting. As a Cadet, prepare in advance for your examination and ensure to take notes/logs.
4. FRAUDSTERS: Certain individuals seem to derive joy from causing pains and stealing from others. A lot of Maritime Fraudsters are on the loose and actively on the lookout for who to swindle. Personally, I have received numerous calls from alleged shipping companies and agents who ask for money in order to jobs. These individuals are fraudsters. No legitimate company will ask for money in exchange for a job opportunity. Job hunting is depressing and can cause desperation. Stay calm, alert and sensitive so as not to fall into the hands of criminals. Some seafarers have been robbed and/or kidnapped by fake agents who call them to board a ship at falsified locations. Be careful when indulging in agreements with agents. Ensure to have a witness; better still, such agreements should be signed in a police station. These fraudsters has caused so many sailors to remain unemployed. Most lose the determination to continue in the sea trade. Click the link to access a list of renowned and legitimate shipping companies and crewing agencies in Nigeria. Ensure to confirm the integrity of a shipping company by surfing the internet and seeking advice from acquaintances who have knowledge of such companies. Report any fraudulent individuals to the law enforcement agencies and also to NIMASA.
5. GREED: Greed may cause unemployment. Greed on the side of the shipping companies as well as the sailors. Some sailors deliberately refuse to go on time off because of the desire to make more money at sea. It is an arguable fact because every sailor have responsibilities and challenges that requires money. Staying onboard beyond the contract time spells doom for the relievers and supposed on-signers. The supposed on-signers stay unemployed until there is a vacancy onboard. Recruitment Exercises become survival for the richest as certain company staffs and agents ask for money in exchange for job placements. Some corrupt officers of the Maritime governing agencies compromise and allow sailors with fake and/or expired certification to work. Greed is one of the major influencers of unemployment.
6. ACT OF GOD: Disease outbreaks such as Ebola, Corona Virus cause economic meltdown which affects numerous industries. The Maritime industry is not an exception. During such circumstances, the shipping companies devise means of containing the situation at hand. Such measures includes downsizing and limiting of crew change. Both factors leads to unemployment. Natural disasters like tornado, hurricanes and cyclones can lead to damage and/or loss of ships. At such instances, the ship is rendered ineffective for an indefinite period of time. With no crew required to be manned on such vessels, unemployment becomes the order of the day for sailors operating with such companies. Unforeseen circumstances like Accident can cause maiming, lacerations, high degree burns, loss of sight and so on. Such events leads to unemployment because such sailor becomes unfit to carry out his/her duties. The stated factors are all Act of God which means they are unforeseen and unpredictable.

As earlier stated, the above listed factors are but a few as compared to the bulk load of other limiting factors. According to:

To be the outstanding, you have to do things differently.

Engineer Okori Adams

So go out there and make a difference. There is still hope for the Nigerian maritime industry- the journey has only just begun.