The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has announced plans to stage a protest today at the headquarters of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Victoria Island, Lagos, over what it described as prolonged delays in the completion of training and certification requirements for more than 100 Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) cadets.
 
The IYC is demanding urgent intervention by NIMASA to resolve the outstanding issues affecting the cadets, some of whom it says have been waiting for years to complete their professional requirements and qualify for careers at sea.

The IYC Chairman, Owen Napthali, while speaking during a visit to NIMASA’s headquarters in Lagos, urged the agency’s Director-General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, to personally intervene and ensure a lasting resolution.

Napthali said the planned protest was intended to draw attention to the cadets’ situation and press the agency to address their concerns.

According to the IYC, more than 100 beneficiaries of the NSDP have completed substantial portions of their academic training and sea-time requirements but are still awaiting deployment to the Philippines for outstanding Certificate of Competency (CoC) examinations and related requirements.

The Council alleged that the affected cadets had spent years preparing for careers in the maritime industry but remained unable to complete the final stages of their professional qualification.

Also speaking, National Coordinator of the Niger Delta Civil Society Organisations, Okporu Augustine, said information available to the group indicated that the outstanding issues included examination arrangements, funding, visa processing, travel logistics and other administrative requirements.
 
The IYC also raised questions about previous engagements and verification exercises reportedly conducted in 2022 and 2025, saying the process had not resulted in a satisfactory resolution for the affected cadets.

It further alleged that some cadets had been instructed to renew their international passports in preparation for deployment but were subsequently not deployed.

The circumstances surrounding the reported passport renewals, the status of deployment arrangements and the reasons for the delays require clarification from NIMASA.

The Council also called for transparency regarding funds it said had been approved for the completion of the programme.

It, therefore, urged the agency to disclose the status of the funds and explain how they were being applied to the outstanding requirements.

The claims concerning funding, administrative delays and deployment arrangements could not be independently confirmed from the information available for this report.

The NSDP was established to develop Nigerian youths into professionally qualified seafarers capable of contributing to the country’s maritime sector and the global shipping industry.

The IYC said the reported delays were undermining that objective and leaving the affected beneficiaries uncertain about their professional futures.

“Where public resources have been approved for the completion of the programme, the affected beneficiaries should be informed of the status of such funds and the steps being taken to deploy them for their intended purpose.

“These are not merely administrative matters. They directly affect the careers and livelihoods of the affected young Nigerians,” the Council stated.

The Council, however, called on NIMASA to conclude all outstanding academic, examination, training and CoC requirements for eligible cadets.

It also demanded the release of approved funds for examinations, deployment, travel, accommodation, visa processing and other legitimate programme expenses.

In addition, the IYC urged the agency to publish or provide a comprehensive status report identifying the outstanding requirements for each affected cadet and to establish a definite deployment timetable.