Friday, 22 February 2013 – Thursday, 28 February 2013
WWW.AFRICANVOICEONLINE.CO.UK
ISSUE 471
SINCE 2001
B R I TA I N ’ S N O . 1 A F R I C A N N E W S PA P E R Re-name Streets after late War heroes - Labour
SEE PAGE 6
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Security agencies to rescue kidnapped foreign workers SEE PAGE 9
Members of corrupt law firm sentenced for scam marriages SEE PAGE 14
Nigerian maritime agency fails UK students By Alan Oakley
Seventeen Nigerian Maritime students risk of not qualifying for a “Certificate of Competency” because they have received insufficient training, according to spokesman for the students, Hashimu Audi. They have asked Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, for support. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the students, who are attending Liverpool John Moores University, are being sponsored under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme jointly organised by state governments and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Under the training programme, 10,000
Nigerian students were targeted for maritime education. So far, only two groups made up of students from Benue, Ondo, Niger and Kaduna states, have befitted from the scheme. In his appeal for High Commission support, Audi said the students were yet to embark on the 12 month mandatory Sea Time Training, which would enable them sit the Certificate of Competency examination. He said without the training it would be impossible for them to become seafarers or even teach maritime education, rendering their studies pointless. According to Audi, NIMASA, as facilitator of the programme is yet to arrange for them to embark on the training and has, instead, provided them return tickets back home.
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Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Dr Dalhatu Tafida