Some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) have accused the Nigerian government and the implementing agency of abandoning them.
In a video shared on Twitter, the beneficiaries accused a Nigerian embassy and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) of improper treatment.
The NSDP, which commenced in 2009, is a NIMASA programme initiated to address the dearth of trained and certified seafarers in the Nigerian maritime industry.
Some men in the video who identified themselves as cadets said they had arrived at the Nigerian embassy in Manila, The Philippines for a “simple demonstration” but were denied access.
One of the cadets who spoke in the video said the embassy authorised law enforcement officials in The Philippines not to let them into the embassy.
He said he and others were sent to The Philippines 10 years ago to study Marine Engineering and Transportation under the NIMASA-NSDP scholarship.
The scholarship was meant to last for four years: three years in school and an exit examination in the fourth year.
One of the persons who reacted to the video, Abraham Samuel, accused NIMASA of negligence. He narrated how he had to leave the programme after he could no longer wait on the agency to continue his studies in The Philippines.
Mr Samuel, whose LinkedIn profile says he studied at the University of Cebu in The Philippines, noted that “a programme that began in 2012, 10 years later people are still languishing and suffering at home. I for one can say that NIMASA failed in making the programme a success, most of the persons in the Philippines are self-sponsored and only because they got tired of waiting for NIMASA and had to look for every means possible to kick start their lives, I am one of those such people.”
Nigerian Embassy responds
Responding to the allegation that they were denied access to the embassy, the Nigerian Embassy in Manila in a statement said: “the said cadets did not have any scheduled appointment with the Embassy on the said date which is in defiant to the rules of Estate managements in the Philippines.”
“And as such, the Estate/ Barangay reserves the right to prohibit persons from entering the premises without an appointment.”
It added that the cadets did not submit any formal notification of protest to the Philippine authorities before they embarked on the protest.
However, it noted that officials of the embassy went to meet with the “defiant cadets” at the entrance of the estate to listen to their complaints “which were delivered in a very insulting and demeaning manner with no regard for the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on whose sponsorship they were in the Philippines in the first place.”
It said all complaints from the cadets have been communicated to the relevant authorities in NIMASA and the embassy awaits further directives.
NIMASA monitoring unfortunate development
In response to the video, NIMASA said it is “monitoring the unfortunate development in the Philippines involving NIMASA NSDP 2013 cadets, as seen in a recent online video.”
It noted that the maritime agency will be in The Philippines at an undisclosed date this month (October) for an assessment visit to ascertain the issues and finally address them.
The visit will be led by the Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Victor Ochei. He said the officials will engage with the school and the cadets.
“As responsible management, we must deal with this from an informed position, as the matter far predates this administration. While we regret the embarrassment this may have caused all concerned; we urge caution and avoidance of any speculative reporting until the official outcome of the on-the-spot evaluation to the Philippines is submitted,” NIMASA said.
