President, African Shipowners Association (ASA), Captain Ladi Olubowale, has warned that Nigeria’s maritime sector is grappling with a critical manpower shortage, leaving over 5,000 trained cadets without the sea-time experience needed to advance their careers.

Olubowale, who stated this at the Port News 30th Anniversary celebration in Lagos, with the theme “Nigeria’s Shipping Carriage Gaps, CVFF and the Fading Manpower,” warned that the growing shortage of Nigerian maritime manpower threatens the shipping sector’s future.

However, he called for immediate government intervention to place cadets on board vessels for sea-time training.

“Currently, we have over 5,000 Nigerian-trained cadets roaming the streets due to a lack of sea time. Without practical experience gained through mandatory seatime aboard commercial vessels, their certificates hold no value. Our knowledge base is fading fast,” he lamented.

According to him, if the government were to disburse the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) and new ships were acquired, the vessels would likely be dominated by foreign professionals because Nigeria has failed to develop its indigenous seafaring capacity.

“You cannot build a maritime sector when you don’t have capacity. If we have cargo ships again today, I bet you 85 per cent of the crew will be foreigners because we don’t have the capacity. The professionals who can drive it are ageing, and they cannot be fit to work in that space anymore.

“This is why we need to impact the technology and knowledge on the younger generation, but that is not happening. This is the gap that we are seeing in the industry right now. We must rebuild the seafarer pipeline through structured cadetship programs, scholarship bonds, and employment quotas linked directly to CVFF-financed vessels,” he said.

Conversely, he pointed out that manpower development is crucial in shipping and it is one of the things that CVFF was designed to address through the granting of loans to qualified investors to acquire ships.

He added that unless urgent measures are taken to disburse the CVFF and prioritise sea-time training of Nigerian seafarers, the nation will remain largely dependent on foreign operators.

Meanwhile, in his welcome remarks, Publisher of PortNews, Mr. Wale Oni, decried the non-disbursement of the fund, estimated to be around $800 million. He lamented that the fund has been kept idle for too long, despite the urgent need for it to revitalise the coastal carriage business and provide necessary cadet training berths.

“Between 2003, it is being mouthed that about $800 million has been realised into the CVFF purse. Some rumour has it to be $1 billion. Why can’t the government tell us the exact amount? Why this level of opaqueness? Why this humongous volume of public money remains idle for so long, especially now that virtually all the indigenous companies in the coastal carriage business have gone under?” he queried.

However, he commended NIMASA for keeping such large sums unscathed in its vault for over 20 years, saying it is a national record in fidelity.

“But why would a nation deem it wise to save about $800 million for so long without finding it expedient to dispense it for the purpose it was generated? When thousands of its skilled seamen, master mariners, and professionals trained at exorbitant costs in the best shipping schools around the world are loafing around, wasting away?” he lamented. (The Sun)