Over 170 Nigerian students were left stranded abroad without the necessary financial support to finish their studies and training after an Assistant Director at NIMASA misappropriated £1.07 million from the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme’s scholarship fund.
Over 170 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency’s (NIMASA) Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) have voiced their frustration over the agency’s abandonment, which has left many unable to complete their studies or secure employment due to a lack of financial support.
The students, who began the program in 2012, were promised scholarships for courses in the UK, India, the Philippines, and Romania, with the expectation that they would obtain Certificates of Competency (CoC) and other necessary certifications to work as seafarers.
However, the program took a drastic turn in March 2013 when Irene Macfoy, then an Assistant Director at NIMASA and Head of the NSDP, embezzled £1,074,600 from the scholarship funds. Macfoy transferred the money from NIMASA’s Zenith Bank UK account to an offshore account belonging to Swiss Bulk Carriers S.A. while falsely claiming it was meant for the training of 54 Nautical Science and Marine Engineering students. The fraud was uncovered following an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which led to a partial recovery of the stolen funds.
The impact of the fraud was felt by the students two years later when, in January 2015, they were informed via a memo from the Office of the Vice President for Maritime Affairs International Students Programme that their monthly stipends would be reduced from $250 to $100. Some students studying in the Philippines were hit even harder, receiving only $50 per month—a stipend that, at the time, equated to N10,000, significantly less than Nigeria’s minimum wage.
As a result of the financial shortfall, many students were unable to progress to the required Seatime phase, a critical component of their training that involves spending time on merchant ships. Without this phase, students could not complete their training or obtain their CoC, which is essential for their professional certification. Some students took the initiative to fund their own Seatime, spending millions of Naira to secure their CoC, with the promise from NIMASA that they would be reimbursed $6,339 each—funds that have yet to be disbursed.
Despite these ongoing challenges, NIMASA, under the leadership of then-Director General Akpobolokaemi Patrick, proceeded to launch a new batch of over 280 cadets at Centurion University in India, leaving the original beneficiaries feeling abandoned and neglected. Efforts to resolve the issue have been slow, with the students continuing to call on NIMASA for the support they were promised.
According to FIJ when they contacted NIMASA they responded that the inquiry had been forwarded to the relevant department for further action, but the affected students remain in limbo, struggling to complete their studies and achieve the certifications necessary for their careers.
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