Ex-Minister of Transport, Festus Porbeni, has urged the Federal Government to develop Nigeria’s diving sector.
He recently shared that developing the crucial sector would create more jobs across the country.
Speaking while addressing journalists, Festus, who presently chairs Bics Garden, said that the government cannot keep neglecting a sector that has the potential to employ several youths if exploited correctly.
Emphasising that its vast potential cannot be allowed to remain untapped, he urged the government to work on establishing top-class training institutions to develop skilled divers.
According to him, having professional divers can go a long way towards boosting key sectors like oil and gas, maritime operations, underwater archaeology, and the broader marine and blue economy.
Festus maintained that the lack of quality diving schools across the country is enough proof that diving is still not viewed as a serious sector, and that should not be the case.
He maintained that as someone who was once a naval diver, he is fully aware of the several advantages that come with having divers in our seas.
“In this country, there are not many divers. Diving schools are very few. So, we have foreigners doing diving jobs for us in all the oil exploration, diving and repair, working at pipelines, as well as other areas.
Diving should be taken more seriously and the government should put some more effort. I was a Frogman, a naval diver, and I know the many advantages of having divers in our seas. As a Frogman, I could dive under ships to install bombs; but for real diving, you can also repair the propeller, lay underwater pipelines, carryout anti-fouling, do underwater exploration, etc,” he said.
He further noted that obtaining substantial training to become a certified diver is quite straightforward abroad, stressing that Nigeria must strive to reach that level in the near future.
He concluded by urging the Federal Government to be intentional about setting up training institutions that would equip Nigerian youths with skills that can transform their lives.
“If Nigerians have to go to South Africa and to other countries to be trained on diving, it is a challenge. Hence, there is a need to establish diving schools that will train young Nigerians to be expert and to be certificated,” he added.
