Treasurer of the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES), Engr. Kuzi Onyibe, has expressed a strong desire for cooperation with the Maritime Academy of Nigeria(MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to coordinate a structure to enable Nigeria produce First-class marine engineers.
Addressing newsmen on Friday at the inauguration new executives of AMES in Lagos, Onyibe said “What I am bringing on board, what I want to see done, is for the Maritime Academy of Nigeria to produce First Class Engineers. If that is the only thing I want to do, I want to get it done.
“I want to coordinate, cooperate with MAN Oron, and NIMASA, to see that Nigeria produces First-class marine engineers. The Academy will prepare the people for the exams and NIMASA to pass the people if they are worthy.”
Onyibe said that Ghana produces First-class marine engineers and so did not see what would keep Nigeria from achieving same.
His words: “I schooled in Ghana and they are producing First Class engineers in Ghana. My own colleagues as provosts, principals and lecturers there are producing the engineers there. So, I don’t see the reason why we cannot do the same here in Nigeria.
“If we knock out politics, tribalism and whatever it is, we can produce the best sets of First-Class engineers in Nigeria that would work worldwide. We are shooting ourselves in the foot, without having the right people, because right now, this country is importing.
“When you bring any ship into the country they would tell you they want to put foreigners as Chief Engineers and Captains. That is because they have first -Class. We don’t have, so that space if left for foreigners.
“If we have it, we can take that space and occupy the whole vessel. But right now, we are losing a lot of money. If a Captain earns $15,000 dollars, you see the lot of money we are losing? That is what I want to achieve; that is the only goal I have for myself for the next two years.”
