By Joyce Ekeh
Nigerian seafarers trained in the Philippines under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, have raised the alarm over a prolonged delay by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, in facilitating their Certificate of Competency, CoC, examinations, saying the situation has stalled their careers for years.
The affected beneficiaries, who were sponsored by the Federal Government to study maritime courses in the Philippines, said they had completed their academic training and sea-time requirements but remained unable to complete the final certification process required to qualify as ship officers.
One of the beneficiaries, Daniel Oyedele, said the prolonged delay had left him and other cadets uncertain about their professional future despite completing the required stages of their training.
Oyedele, who said he is approaching 36, told Vanguard that the NSDP was initiated in 2012 to train Nigerian cadets as officers and build capacity for the country’s maritime industry.
According to him, beneficiaries were sent to maritime institutions in the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Egypt for three years of academic training, followed by one year of sea-time and the final certification process.
He said while some cadets from other countries had completed their training and obtained their certificates, many of those trained in the Philippines were still waiting for the opportunity to sit their CoC examinations.
“We did our three years there. By 2016, we had completed the programme and returned to Nigeria for sea time. But the sea time did not happen immediately,” he said.
Oyedele said he waited from 2016 until 2020 before securing placement aboard a ship for his sea-time training, which he completed between 2020 and 2021.
He said the next stage was to return to the Philippines for the certification examination, but the process had remained unresolved.
“Since then, we have been hearing that they will call us, that they are making progress with the programme. They said they were waiting for funds and budget approval,” he said.
He said the beneficiaries had repeatedly visited NIMASA, sent representatives and written letters to the agency in an effort to resolve the matter.
Oyedele expressed concern that a subsequent batch sponsored in 2021 had nearly completed its programme and was reportedly preparing for its certification examinations, while some of the earlier beneficiaries remained stranded.
He said the cadets were invited for physical verification in October 2025 to establish the number of beneficiaries still awaiting certification.
According to him, they were initially assured that they would be contacted within three months, but no concrete update was received after the period elapsed.
He said they were later informed that funding was unavailable and that they would have to wait for the new budget.
Oyedele said that by February and March 2026, the NSDP department informed the beneficiaries that its audit and other internal processes had been completed and that the file had been forwarded to the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, for approval.
“The NSDP department told us that they had completed everything and were only waiting for the Director-General’s approval before we could proceed for our CoC,” he said.
He said the cadets staged a peaceful protest at NIMASA’s headquarters in Lagos earlier this month, demanding an opportunity to meet the Director-General and obtain a definite timeline for the completion of the process.
According to him, officials informed them that the Director-General was unavailable and promised to provide an update within nine days.
“Those nine days have elapsed, and we are still yet to get anything from them. They are no longer picking up calls or responding to our messages,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Emmanuel Akporoyibo, from Delta State, said the programme began around 2012 and that the cadets completed their three-year training in the Philippines between 2013 and 2016.
Akporoyibo said the delay in arranging their sea-time training had previously forced the beneficiaries to wait for several years, leading to a protest in 2018 before the process was eventually facilitated.
He said the beneficiaries had continued to experience similar delays over their final certification examinations.
According to him, the cadets had repeatedly been assured that the process would be completed soon, but the assurances had not translated into action.
“We have been writing and visiting the office, but it is always ‘soon, soon, soon’. We are tired of hearing that,” he said.
Akporoyibo said the beneficiaries were considering further action and seeking media intervention to draw attention to their situation.
Document lists 170 cadets
A document made available to Vanguard, titled “List of 170 Philippines Cadets Scheduled for COC, Batch 3 (2022 Stream) by Year of Graduation,” contains the names of 170 cadets listed for the certification process.
The document provides details including the cadets’ names, gender, maritime training institutions, courses of study and years of graduation.
It lists graduates from various institutions in the Philippines, including Lyceum and Cebu, and distinguishes between deck and engine courses.
The document contains graduates dating back to 2015, indicating that some beneficiaries have been awaiting completion of the final stage of their professional certification for several years.
Oyedele, however, said the number of beneficiaries still awaiting certification might have reduced following the physical verification exercise conducted by NIMASA in October 2025.
He said the cadets were yet to receive an official figure of those still affected.
The beneficiaries said their demand was not for preferential treatment but for clarity on the status of their file and a definite timeline for the CoC examinations.
When contacted for his reaction, the Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations, NIMASA, Osagie Edward, did not respond to calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages sent several days before the filing of this report.
