Business

How Maritime Security Experts constitute threat to National Security – Trade Unions

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers & Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNO&WTSSA) have called on the federal government to quickly nip in the bud, the looming danger about to erupt in the nation’s maritime industry.

In a bid to stem the tide of heightened insecurity in the country, the group said the government should beam it’s searchlight on a group called Maritime Security Experts disguising as seafarers.

The group, said to have constituted themself into a security outfit with plans to bear arms.

The Trade Union Congress affiliates, said it is giving out this alarm in order not to mistaken its members as part of the unscrupulous elements who claim to be seafarers but are not.

The seafarers union reiterated that the group in question engages in duping people in the name of issuing maritime security certificates that are not recognised and accepted within Nigeria and internationally.

Yousou

In a statement made available to National Update, the National President of the union, Comrade Bob Yousou said, “It has been a while this unscrupulous elements have been duping people in the name of maritime security certificates that is not recognised and accepted within Nigeria and internationally.

Yousou, a seasoned Marine Engineer added that members of the union are grounded with the seafaring profession ethics; thus play key roles as officers on board merchant vessels.

He warned cadets of various institutions and job seekers in the maritime sector to be extremely careful on who to engage, saying the group in question would go all out to extort and mislead desperate youths and applicants eager to get admission or employment.

He went further to say: “There is no gain saying that this body has CAC registration. It is therefore not a yardstick to establishing a security outfit .

“Merchant Navy Officers all over the world are known to be discipline and professional. There is no Maritime Convention that mandates seafarers to carry arms globally.

“History has it that the establishment of Nigerian Navy (NN) is as a result of the security issues encountered by seafarers plying their trade in Nigeria territorial water. It is therefore the duty of Nigerian Navy to uphold our territorial boundaries and deal with the security challenges faced by seafarers.

“With the coming into force of the Deep Blue Sea project, the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not leaving any stone unturned to curb insecurity challenges in our territorial waters.

“It is germane to know that in this era of insecurity, in every part of the country, one has to be careful about training people on security matters,” the President stated

According to him, “Today, I want to make this announcement critically clear that the security authorities in Nigeria should hunt for these miscreants who address themselves as captains with their accomplices. The certificates issued by this group of people neither conform to ILO/IMO regulation nor in line with Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) requirements.

“NIMASA today stands as the only maritime regulatory agency and I stand to be challenged that the activities of this impostors is not in tandem as far as NIMASA is concerned.

“It becomes glaring that the fake bodies are the ones militarizing our noble profession. They are bent on wearing uniform day in, day out without any plans to go onboard vessel and work, hence the conflict with Nigerian Navy and other security authorities.

“Merchant Navy uniform is the same globally but we stand against the abuse of it. Seafarers are professionals with great repute. They transport about 85 percent of the world trade,” he stated.