Seafarers
By Aisha Cole
Lagos, June 28, 2024 (NAN) The Women in Maritime Africa (WIMAfrica), Nigerian Chapter, has urged the Federal Government to improve remuneration of seafarers and provide a special pension scheme for them.
The chapter said that the improvement and provision should be part of efforts to develop seafaring in Nigeria.
The President of the chapter, Mrs Rollens Macfoy, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday to mark the 2024 International Day of Seafarers.
Macfoy called on the Federal Government and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to ensure remuneration Nigerian seafarers like their foreign counterparts.
“The issue of special pension scheme for seafarers to prepare them for good retirement should also be considered.
“The trauma of the job they do is enormous. There is also the issue of ill-health and treatment while onboard.
” We should recall that even in the worst of times like the COVID-19 lockdown, seafarers continued to work,” Macfoy said.
According to her, the International Day of Seafarers is a day to honour the world’s over two million seafarers whose dedication and professionalism keep the vast majority of world trade moving safely.
She regretted that female seafarers had yet to be generally accepted.
According to her, women are less than two per cent of seafarers globally, while Nigeria has less than 0.5 per cent of its seafarers as females.
“I appeal to NIMASA and ship owners’ association to welcome the idea of female seafarers and also encourage them.
“Let us realise the quality of work they will deliver and not their gender.
“Seafarers are important for the economy. I call them the heartbeat of nations.
“As we celebrate the seafarers, I use this medium to appreciate seafarers all over the world, particularly Nigerian seafarers, who have had about the largest heat of this job.
“They continue to provide essential services under difficult conditions,” she said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
AIC/AYO/IGO
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Edited by Ayodeji Alabi/Ijeoma Popoola
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