Ahead of the 2019 World Maritime Day celebration, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has invited entries from undergraduates across the country for an essay on the topic, “Empowering Women in the Maritime Community,” to encourage youth participation in the maritime sector.
Explaining the move, the NIMASA Director-General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, described the youth as the future of the sector, adding that the agency would continue to do all it could to encourage them to pursue careers and investment opportunities in the industry after graduation.
According to him, “this is the third edition of the annual competition specifically designed for students in Nigerian tertiary institutions to stimulate research and scholarship to build their knowledge and appreciation of the maritime industry.”
Peterside, who also chairs the African Association of Maritime Administrations (AAMA), noted that massive investment in the industry would help to create employment, diversify the economy and provide additional sources of income beyond crude oil and its derivatives.
In line with the already published guidelines, only first and second year undergraduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions are eligible to participate in the competition, and the essay of not less than 1,200 words must be forwarded to wmdessay@nimasa.gov.ng and mail@samuelson.com.ng on or before September 12, 2019.
Winners of the competition, he stated, would go home with N500,000 educational grant and a laptop, while the winning essay would be published in the NIMASA magazine, The Voyage. Also, the first and second runners-up would get N 350,000 and N250,000 respectively, as well as laptops, while the fourth to seventh runners-up would receive consolation prize of N100,000.
