Diving chief makes case for indigenous divers

The Chief Inspector of Diving (CID), Mr. Julius Ugwala, has restated his commitment to ensuring the engagement of competent indigenous divers.

Ugwala made this known in a statement on Monday, signed by Mrs. Ezinne Azunna, his media consultant.

The CID said that while being committed to the engagement of indigenous divers, experts would also be allowed to thrive in areas Nigeria had little or no capacity for.

He was reacting to a recent complaint by expert divers alleging that the Diving Advisory Board, as well as the CID, was primarily focused on ridding Nigerian waters of foreigners.

Ugwala noted that in line with the Local Content Act, competent Nigerians were to be accorded the first right of refusal, and where such skills were unavailable in-country, experts would do the job.

He said that the Act spelled out that vessels trading on Nigerian waters must employ at least 70 percent of indigenous people, adding that the call for the employment of locals was necessary to spur the growth in the sector.

“It will be unfair to have competent Nigerians sit at home while other nationals work on our territorial waters. That will be an injustice.

“My advocacy for employment of competent local divers does not imply an outright dismissal of foreigners, as the industry is large enough to accommodate all, as long as competent Nigerians are given the opportunity to work.

“The industry is way too big and Nigerians alone can’t fill the gaps. It will take some time before we become fully dependent on ourselves.

“However, only a careless mother abandons her own children to feed those of others first.

“I am sure you’d agree that competent Nigerian divers have a place in the sector and should be employed.

“Experts too have their place, but not at the expense of competent indigenous divers or the growth of the sector,” he said.

Also, Mr. Nicholas Roddy, Second Operations Manager at HybO2, while reacting to the call, said that working internationally would give Nigerian divers the necessary exposure to match international best diving practices and infuse the same into the local diving industry.

“Until more Nigerian divers work internationally and then come home to work, they will not be exposed to higher standards and will be dependent on developments being imported by experts.

“I have met too many Nigerian divers who have spent 20 years working in Nigeria and consider themselves as experts.

“Had they traveled, they will be better than good and will be the real leaders of the next generation of Nigerian divers. Healthy competition raises standards,” Roddy said.

Another diver, Olufemi Ogun-Johnson, a Trainee Dive Supervisor – Hydro drive Group, said the CID was not depriving other experts of working in Nigeria, but rather creating opportunities for indigenous divers so as to build local capacity.

“Even the most advanced diving industries in the world still have experts coming in to work. The aim of the CID, as articulated, is not to deprive experts of opportunities, but for competent indigenous professionals to thrive.

“Experts, I believe, will never cease in an industry all over the world because that is one of the major mediums of technology transfer, industry practice regulation, and knowledge transfer.

“Ideas like this build competency if well harnessed. So, please don’t see it as a means of bringing to disrepute the efforts of experts, but as an industry best practice model that every nation needs to develop internally,” he stated.