President Jonathan Tasks Graduate Seafarers on Global Excellence

President and Commander in Chief, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has tasked graduates of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to showcase their excellence on the global scene.
President Jonathan also showered the graduates with accoladesin Lagos at a reception hosted in their honor by the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum.
The President, who ensured the placement of the young Nigerians in reputable maritime institutions across the globe, admonished the beneficiaries of the programme to exhibit great professionalism when they take on the global challenges in the maritime sector, after the completion of the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) which they are currently undertaking.
President Jonathan emphasized that the human capacity development for young Nigerians is critical to the growth and development of the country.
“As a nation, if you must prepare for the future of the country you must invest in the younger generation of the country, and as a nation you do not go back but move forward,” he concluded.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi said the graduates had made him proud, as they made top grades at the final examinations in Egypt and the United Kingdom.
“This motivation will aid continuation of the scheme. We thank Mr. President for his support in seeing to the success of this programme and for keeping us on our toes in the discharge of our duties in NIMASA to realise the objective.” he said.
The DG also appreciated the Honourable Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar for his support in human capacity development drive.
The beneficiaries of the NSDP graduated from the Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt and the South Tyneside College, New Castle, United Kingdom. They studied various courses such as; Marine Engineering, Nautical Science, Naval Architecture amongst others.
In all over 2,500 beneficiaries of the programme are also undergoing maritime related courses in the Philippines, India and Romania.