SAFEGUARDING THE RIGHT OF SEAFARERS IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY: ASSESSING THE SUITABILITY OF THE PROVISIONS UNDER NIGERIAN LAW

ABSTRACT

The growing disparities between the beautiful blueprints that exist for the protection of seafarers’ rights and what obtains in practice have become troubling. Seafarers are pivotal to the functionality of the maritime industry, which is the economic nerve of many countries, including Nigeria but the illustrious social welfare promised by the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 has not manifested in the lives of seafarers in Nigeria. Hence, this article investigates the reason for the dichotomy between rights in theory and practice, explores the unique challenges faced by seafarers in Nigeria, highlights novel challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, and chronicles the inadequacies of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in protecting seafarers’ rights. This article contends that to ensure the effective realization of seafarers’ rights, the practice of ratifying international conventions without proper domestication must be abandoned. Additionally, regulatory agencies must prioritize enforcing existing rights and holding violators accountable.

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UNILAG Law Review, (2024) Volume 7 Edition 1.