Seafarers’ Day: MWUN PG laments lack of job opportunities for Nigerian seafarers

The President General (PG) of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, has commended  Nigerian seafarers and others across the globe for their resilience, discipline, commitment and loyalty in the face of hardship and uncertainty that has engulfed international seas across the globe.

Comrade Francis Bunu Abi expressed worries over the state of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, where graduants are turned out yearly with no adequate certifications to compete favourably with their counterparts across the West Africa sub-region and beyond.

He pointed out getting employment becomes cumbersome for graduates of MAN; hence, very many of them are roaming all over the place without job and a situation which calls for a very serious concern.

The MWUN President General expressed these worries in his presentation at the event to commemorate the 2026 Day of the Seafarers in Lagos on Thursday, June 25.

Expressing dismay over  non-availability of national carriers, he noted that various governments have come and gone, the situation of the country’s shipping line has remained the same, saying “it is not a good development for a country like Nigeria considering our maritime potential.”

Com Bunu, however, called on the federal government and the minister of marine and blue economy to bring back the good of the past days when Nigerian seafarers had indigenous shipping line hoisted with Nigeria’s flag (NNSL), which was no doubt the pride of the Nigerian seafarers and the country.

He thanked industry operators for their contributions to the growth of the industry. According to him, “they have contributed immensely to the development of the sector in recent times and have also partnered sincerely with the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria. I believe that the country maritime sector will take its rightful position in the comity of nations.”

The Seafarers Day provides an opportunity to recognize the essential roles of seafarers in global trade and the risks there in, which seafarers bear sustaining it.

It’s therefore very necessary to put into serious consideration the plight and challenges Seafarers faces navigating through regions affected by conflict and insecurity. This includes the risks they take as well as the resilience they showcase in moving world trade under difficult situations.

The theme for the year 2026, “Carrying World Trade. Carrying The Risks” identifies with the heightened geopolitical tensions,  including the evolving situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Black Sea and, the Sea of Asov and the Red Sea region, which have caused great tension and increasing complexity; given the risks Seafarers undertake and endure everyday.