Nigerian Merchant Navy
The Nigerian Merchant Navy (NMN) consists of ships, their
.Origins
The quasi-military Nigerian Marine Department was established in 1914 and cooperated with the
A 1964 book describes careers in the Nigerian Merchant Navy, which offered apprenticeships for craftsmen and Officer Cadetships for aspirants to become Navigating or Engineering officers.[3] In 1988 the
The industry has been represented at international conferences by members of the Merchant Navy Officers' and Water Transport Senior Staff Association.[5][6] Thomas Kemewerigha, the national President of this association, described it in a 2010 interview as a trade union organization affiliated with the
Status and activities
Although the Nigerian Merchant Navy has a long history, it is not a legally recognized body. The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) undertook an investigation in 2007 after hearing that President Olusegun Obasanjo had authorized establishment of a Nigeria Merchant Navy Corps. In November 2007 the Director General of NIMASA said in a letter to Presidency that "the so-called Nigerian Merchant Navy is not known in the law establishing the NIMASA (NIMASA ACT 2007) nor the Nigerian Merchant Shipping Act 2007 that delegated the function of the Maritime Safety Administration to NIMASA".[8]
When the police announced a ban of an organization calling itself the "Nigerian Merchant Navy" in July 2010, due to alleged illegal activities of some members of that organization, Kemewerigha said the ban did not apply to his Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, which was recognized in the Federal Gazette. He said "We have written a lot of letters as far back as 2006, when we discovered a mystery Merchant Navy body. We wrote to the Police, Navy, SSS and every other agency but nothing was done".[7]
Kemewerigha describes the Merchant Navy job as being "in water
The Merchant Navy suffers from lawlessness in the territorial waters. In July 2010, Comrade Kingsley Enahoro issued a statement reading in part: "The Executive and entire members of the fishing zone of the Nigeria Merchant Navy want to bring to the notice of the Federal/State Government as well as the International community and the General Public of the threat and killing suffered by sailors as a result of the insurgence of sea pirates in the Nigeria/Cameroon waters".[9] Kemewerigha has been highly critical of NIMASA, which is meant to protect merchant vessels, saying that despite all the money received by NIMASA they were unable to maintain one helicopter in flight-worthy condition.[7] In May 2011 the Nigerian Senate was considering a bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Security and Safety Corps.[10]
Unauthorized organizations
In November 2009 the Nigerian Tribune published a report titled "Navy uncovers plot to destabilise Nigeria" that said the Nigerian Naval Command had reported discovery of plans by a group headed by Commodore Benson Edema to destabilise the country. The Navy was quoted as saying that the group had allegedly recruited youths and trained them in use of arms, dressing them in naval uniforms.[11] This appears to have related to an earlier incident in December 2007 where "Commodore" Benson Edema was transferred to the custody of Nigerian Navy after being arrested for allegedly assaulting men of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority. Edema claimed he had recruited 10,000 men to his "Nigerian Merchant Navy Corps" with the job of policing the nation’s waterways. Edema, who was never a Navy Commodore but had been a welder with Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) from 1994 to 1996, was arrested for alleged impersonation.[8]
Responding to the Tribune report, the Director-General of the self-styled Nigerian Merchant Navy, Commodore Allen Edema, called for President
In August 2010 "Commodore" Aderemi Olatinwo, Director-General of the Nigerian Merchant Navy, called for formal recognition of an autonomous Merchant Navy to undertake coast guard duties. According to Olatinwo, Nigeria has the most porous coast in the world, with stolen crude oil being smuggled out and arms and other contraband smuggled in.[13] In a May 2011 interview the head of the NMN Lagos command, Captain Ichukwu Agaba, said the NMN originated with the colonial Marine Department, which had the function of ensuring safety on the waterways, stopping piracy and preventing foreign invasion. He noted there were "strong arm politics in play to outlaw the merchant navy", and said the NMN had been fighting their ejection from their Lagos premises since 2009. Agaba said NMN crew are trained to combat crimes at land and sea. Asked of the difference in roles between the NMN and the Navy, Agaba evaded the question but stressed the NMN's security roles.[14]
Unlicensed academies
In June 2009 two men were arrested by the Navy and handed over to police for running an illegal Merchant Navy Academy on a merchant vessel, MT James, in Lagos. The operators of the Lagos Aviation and Maritime Business School (LAMBS) were offering training to a group of young men on how to navigate a vessel, as well as military training, so they could qualify as Merchant Navy personnel. Some of the students had started to wear Merchant Navy uniforms while on shore. According to a naval spokesman only the
Another Merchant Navy Maritime Academy was established in 2008 in
In December 2010 the Commandant-General of the NMN, Commodore Aderemi Latinwo, said the academy was moving from Iperu to Iwopin in the Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State. The academy head, Bola Nuga, praised the ruler of Iwopin, Oba Julius Adekoya and former President Olusegun Obasanjo for helping the academy to acquire the defunct Iwopin Paper Mill as its new operational base.[18] In January 2011 Aderemi Latinwo and three other senior officers of the NMN were arrested by the police, who alleging that they were running a fake maritime academy. Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogbor accused Latinwo of presenting himself as a Commodore. He stated that Latinwo had never been in the Nigerian Navy. He also said the school was not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission or approved by the Ministry of Transport, so had no legal right to operate.[19]
Sunday Adelani, the NMN Director of Communication, described the arrests as a calculated attempt to sabotage the academy and the maritime industry in Nigeria. He stated that the Merchant Navy Maritime Academy was a legal and duly registered institute, recognized by the National Assembly. Adelani said the Minister for Interior, Captain
References
- ISBN 1-85043-874-9.
- ISBN 978-1-85109-711-1.
- ^ Roy and Deborah Manley (1964). Working in Nigeria. African Universities Press. pp. 85–86.
- ISBN 0-87413-552-4.
- ISSN 0074-6681.
- ISBN 978-92-2-120638-5.
- ^ The Daily Independent (Lagos). Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ a b PHILIP NWOSU (December 21, 2007). "Fake Commodore arrested over military outfit". Online Nigeria. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ Godwin Oritse (28 July 2010). "Merchant Navy Raises Alarm Over Renewed Pirate Attacks". Vanguard (Nigeria). Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ "SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA NOTICE PAPER". Nigerian Senate. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ Bunmi Awolusi (November 11, 2009). "Navy uncovers plot to destabilise Nigeria". Nigerian Tribune. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- Leadership (Abuja). Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ Yemie Adeoye (August 8, 2010). "FG asked to recognize Merchant Navy formation". Vanguard (Nigeria). Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ PATIENCE OGBO (May 21, 2011). "'We are relevant to Nigeria's territorial activities'". Next (Nigeria). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ PHILIP NWOSU (July 2, 2009). "Nigerian Navy arrests operators, trainees of illegal Merchant Navy Academy". The Sun (Nigeria). Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ a b Joke Kujenya (2010-04-04). "'Government is neglecting the importance of Marine Navy to the economy'". The Nation (Nigeria). Retrieved 2011-06-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Merchant navy deck officer". UCAS. 2016-03-11. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ Sulaiman Adenekan (24 December 2010). "Merchant Navy Academy to relocate operational base to Iwopin". The Punch. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ Etim Ekpimah (18 January 2011). "Fake Naval officer operates maritime academy". The Punch. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ "Nigerian Merchant Navy denies alleged operation of illegal institute". WorldStage News. January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ Yemie Adeoye (January 23, 2011). "Call Navy to order, MNMA Academy urges FG". Vanguard (Nigeria). Retrieved 2011-06-23.