A retired Rear Admiral and former Transport Minister, Festus Porbeni, has advised the federal government to explore the creation of massive employment opportunities by prioritising the development of the diving sector.
Porbeni, who is also the Chairman of Bics Garden, made this recommendation while engaging journalists on Tuesday, lamenting that the nation is grossly neglecting the huge potentials in the diving sector despite having millions of unemployed youths.
The maritime expert recommended the establishment of modern state-of-the-art training institutions for the development of divers who can work across various sectors ranging from oil and gas to maritime, underwater archaeological activities to understanding and exploring the marine and blue economy.
His words: “In this country, there are not many divers. Diving schools are very few. So, we have foreigners doing diving jobs for us in all the oil exploration, diving and repair, working at pipelines, as well as other areas.
“Diving should be taken more seriously and the government should put some more effort. I was a Frogman, a naval diver, and I know the many advantages of having divers in our seas. As a Frogman, I could dive under ships to install bombs; but for real diving, you can also repair the propeller, lay underwater pipelines, carryout anti-fouling, do underwater exploration, etc.
Noting that in other countries, it is easier to obtain requisite training and a certificate as a trained and certified diver, Porbeni called on the federal government to intentionally establish training institutions that would equip Nigerian youths with skills for gainful employment.
“If Nigerians have to go to South Africa and to other countries to be trained on diving, it is a challenge. Hence, there is a need to establish diving schools that will train young Nigerians to be experts and to be certificated,” he said.
Meanwhile, the maritime veteran equally recalled some of his activities as a former Minister of Transportation; including the dredging of River Niger and addressing challenges arising from siltation.
He admonished the government to dredge the nation’s inland waterway channels and river ports in order to transform the nation’s transport system with waterways as first-choice for conveying goods and persons.
To enhance the development of the nation’s waterways transport, Porbeni averred that synergy and interagency collaboration is needed between the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and State Government organisations like the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).
While congratulating President Bola Tinubu on his economic reforms such as; subsidy removal, forex stability, coastal super highway under construction, and other decisions to salvage the nation’s economy, Porbeni pleaded with Nigerians to exercise patience with the current administration, adding that despite the tough economic times the nation will fare better in the near future.
“It has been 26 years of uninterrupted democracy since 1999. There have been challenges, conflicts and heated electoral processes; but the nation has stood firm. This is something that is worth celebrating even as we look forward to achieving more with democracy,” he remarked.
