Headlines
Dosunmu lauds Jamoh for saving NSDP from derailment

—–appeals to government to appoint professionals to head maritime agencies
The Eyewitness reporter
The former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA), Dr Ade Dosunmu, has attributed the sustainability and relevance of the National Seafarers Development Programme(NSDP) to the resilience and professional acumen of the incumbent Chief Executive of the agency, Dr Bashir Jamoh.
Dr Dosunmu, who was at the helms of affairs of the agency between 2007 to 2009, lauded Jamoh for bringing the seafarers’ empowerment programme back to track after many years of derailment from its core objective.
The erstwhile NIMASA boss, who was speaking recently during the send-forth of a new batch of 400 cadets to India and Greece for training, said the core objective of aligning the programme with sea time training has long been jettisoned before Dr Jamoh came on board to rescue the programme.
”I would want to specifically appreciate the commitment of the NIMASA team headed by Dr Bashir Jamoh. Your commitment has really brought the NSDP back on track. I remember when the programme started, you are the head of training at NIMASA.
”After the conception, some of us were not around, and the implementation was not in line with the programme’s objective. Sea time training was an integral part of the programme as it was conceived but the implementation did not follow this pattern and that is why we still have up today a backlog of cadets that went on training under the programme but do not have sea time experience.
”Some of them are not even ready to go back for sea training again because they are already doing something else, having stayed for a long time after the four years of training under the programme., some have even married.
”Whereas the original objective of the programme was to go hand in hand with sea-time training. I want to especially thank Dr Jamoh for bringing the programme back on track.
”Today, we don’t have the problem of sea-time training before the cadets set out for the programme, we know they are already prepared up to the point of certificate of competency and that was the original objective of the programme” Dr Dosunmu observed.
He also praised the Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Muazu Sambo for his zeal and commitment to key into the programme.
Dosunmu noted that, unlike other people who on coming to power, will create their own programmes and jettison the ones they met, he said the Minister not only keyed into the programmes he met on the ground but also pursued them with passion.
”I also want to thank the Minister of transportation for his zeal and commitment and for him to key into this programme and several other programmes in the ministry of transportation and NIMASA.
”It is not strange in this country when people come on board and they try to create their own programmes but in your own case, you have keyed into the programmes that you have seen are of significance to the national development.
”I want to thank you and your Permanent Secretary for supporting particularly NIMASA.”
Dr Dosunmu however appealed to the government to always appoint professionals who are within the system as the heads of the agencies in the maritime industry in order to bolster the development of the sector.
He observed that the success story of the NSDP today was a result of the fact that a man who rose through the ranks in NIMASA was appointed as its Chief Executive to drive the policies and programmes that are germane to the development of the industry.
”I want to appeal to the government and policymakers to always put round pegs in round holes. The significance of the resuscitation of the NSDP as we witnessed under the leadership of Dr Jaamo is that the people who are in charge are from within the system.
”I want to say without mincing words that if Dr Jamoh has not worked in NIMASA for close to 30 years, probably he would not be able to bring this programme back on track.
”Government should begin to allow professionals to head government agencies in the maritime industry as it is done in other critical sectors of the economy
”In health, aviation and other critical sectors of the economy where professionals are appointed to head their parastatals, so also should government begin to make professionals head the agencies in the industry because shipping is international and a specialised area that should be headed by core professionals if the government wants sound policies to drive the sector’ Dr Dosunmu concluded.
The NSDP is an interventionist capacity training programme to empower seafarers. It started in 2008 under the then leadership of Dr Ade Dosunmu as the Director General of NIMASA.
Since its inception, the programme has enrolled 2041 students on scholarships spread across the geo-political zones of the country. Out of these numbers, 892 have become licensed deck and engine officers including Naval architects while they are in their final stage of the programme.
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