51 MAN Oron Cadets Bags NLNG Seatime Offers As 314 Graduates

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) and its subsidiary, Nigeria LNG Ship Management Limited (NSML), have offered employment mandatory  seatime offer to 51 graduating cadets of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State, reinforcing the companies’ commitment to developing indigenous maritime manpower and creating career pathways for Nigerian seafarers.

Under the arrangement, NLNG will absorb 30 of the graduating cadets, while NSML will employ the remaining 21, a commitment disclosed by Abdulkadir Ahmed, Managing Director of NSML, through the Acting Rector of MAN, Dr Kevin Okonna, at the academy’s 2026 Cadets Passing-Out Parade and Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, October 29.

The offers represent a significant industry-backed opportunity for the graduating cadets, linking maritime education directly to employment prospects and strengthening the role of indigenous oil and gas operators in developing Nigeria’s seafaring workforce.

The intervention also underscores the importance of sustained collaboration between maritime training institutions and industry players in addressing the perennial challenge of transitioning trained cadets from the classroom and training vessels into gainful professional employment.

The announcement came as 314 cadets graduated from the academy’s National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes, with the Federal Government reaffirming its commitment to producing competent maritime professionals for Nigeria and the global shipping industry.

The ceremony also featured the formal unveiling of the academy’s Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS), a digital platform expected to improve administrative efficiency, transparency, accountability and service delivery.

The graduation statistics showed that 260 cadets completed the ND programme, while 54 graduated from the HND programme. Of the ND graduands, 37 obtained distinctions, 110 earned upper credits, 92 secured lower credits, while 21 graduated with pass classifications.

For the HND programme, 27 cadets obtained distinctions, 24 earned upper credits and three secured lower credits, with none recorded in the pass category.

Overall, 64 cadets graduated with distinctions, 134 obtained upper credits, 95 earned lower credits and 21 graduated with pass classifications.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs Fatima Sugra Tania Mahmood, who represented the Minister, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the strength of a maritime nation was determined not merely by the number of ships or ports it possessed, but by the competence of the people who navigated its waters and sustained the industry.

She congratulated the graduating cadets, their parents and guardians, as well as the academy’s Governing Council, management and staff, for their contributions to the achievement.

Mahmood said maritime education must go beyond producing graduates to developing competent professionals capable of securing meaningful employment, competing internationally and contributing to the growth of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.

According to her, the success of the academy should be measured not only by the number of cadets graduating but also by their transition into professional certification and productive careers in the maritime industry.

The employment commitment by NLNG and NSML provided a practical illustration of the industry-academia partnership she advocated, particularly as the country seeks to strengthen indigenous capacity and expand opportunities for Nigerian-trained seafarers.

Mahmood stressed the importance of maintaining international standards in maritime training and certification, particularly compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended.

She commended the academy for its work on the STCW-compliant curriculum for nautical science and maritime engineering, as well as its certifications under ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 21001:2025.

She said international confidence in Nigeria’s maritime training system was essential to the country’s ambition to become a leading supplier of competent seafarers to the global maritime industry.

The Permanent Secretary urged the graduating cadets to uphold discipline, integrity, technical competence and safety standards while embracing lifelong learning and emerging maritime technologies.

She reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the academy in fulfilling its mandate and strengthening manpower development for the marine and blue economy sector.

Mahmood also formally declared the academy’s Enterprise Content Management System open, describing the initiative as part of ongoing digital transformation efforts aimed at improving efficiency, transparency, accountability and service delivery across the public sector.

She explained that the system would help move administrative processes away from manual, paper-based procedures towards a more efficient digital environment.

Earlier, the Acting Rector, Dr Kevin Okonna, said the Academy had continued to strengthen its training programmes, improve staff welfare and build partnerships to enhance the quality of maritime education.

Okonna disclosed that the academy had obtained ISO 9001:2015 certification for its Quality Management System and ISO 21001:2025 certification for its Educational Organisations Management System from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.

He also said the Academy, with support from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), had secured an opportunity to partner with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Maritime University on a project supporting integrated pilot initiatives for green and digital shipping in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to him, the Academy had sustained partnerships with international professional bodies, including the Nautical Institute, UK; the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology; the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport; and the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration.

He charged the graduating cadets to uphold the academy’s values and distinguish themselves through technical competence, integrity and good character as they entered the maritime industry.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Dr Pius Akutah, urged the graduands to regard their graduation as the beginning of another phase of learning and professional development.

Akutah said the cadets were graduating at a time when government policies were creating opportunities within the maritime sector. He encouraged them to advance innovative ideas and apply the knowledge acquired during their training.

He advised them not to assume that graduation marked the end of learning, but to deploy their skills and talents to establish themselves professionally and contribute to the development of the maritime industry.

The unveiling of the Enterprise Content Management System by the Permanent Secretary marked another milestone in the academy’s drive to modernize its administrative operations in line with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda.

The system is expected to support improved records management, streamline internal workflows and strengthen accountability in the delivery of the academy’s services.

The ceremony brought together government officials, maritime regulators, industry operators, academy management, parents and other stakeholders to celebrate the graduating cadets and their entry into the maritime workforce.

With 51 cadets set to benefit from the NLNG and NSML seatime training offers, the ceremony highlighted the critical role industry partnerships can play in turning maritime training into tangible employment opportunities and strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to supply skilled professionals to the global shipping and energy sectors.