Nation on Board. Lynn Schler

       Acknowledgments

      Many research projects spring from personal experiences and connections to a certain topic, while others are born out of fascination with something extremely foreign or misunderstood. This project unquestionably falls into the second category. My curiosity about the lives and experiences of Nigerian seamen is undeniably linked to my own fear of the sea, and my sheer fascination with those whose livelihoods required them to spend days, months, and years crossing the oceans. As Nigerian seamen were recruited as an underpaid and undervalued labor force on both colonial and postcolonial ships, the hardships and challenges they faced were particularly pronounced. This research was thus driven by reverence for the struggles and adventures these seamen experienced in the face of endless difficulties both onboard ships and ashore. Because the project began with my lack of familiarity with this world, it required a full education into the many facets of African seafaring in the colonial and postcolonial eras. I slowly entered into a world of knowledge concerning life on board ships, including ship hierarchies, work regimens, and tasks, as well as deck-based social relations and cultural life. I also learned about the political economy of international shipping in general, and the politics of shipping in postcolonial nations in particular. To close the gaps of knowledge, I had to rely on countless sources of information and support. The final product is based on material gathered from a wide range of archives, interviews, and the published research of others. Thus, I am deeply indebted to a long list of people and institutions that made this book a possibility.

      First and foremost, I am indebted to the former Nigerian seamen, officers, seamen’s wives, and former NNSL managers who generously gave me their time, opened up their homes and their offices to me, responded to a wide array of questions, and tolerated my lack of knowledge regarding the material lives of seafarers in the international shipping industry. More than seventy men and women shared their stories, some of which were uplifting, others that were testimonies of abuses suffered and disillusionment. Every interview opened up a world onto itself, and I never could have undertaken this project without the detailed and insightful testimonies that emerged in each meeting. In particular, I am grateful to Adeola Lawal, Capt. Alao Tajudeen, Ari Festus, Ben Achilefu, Evelyn Miekumo, Lawrence Miekumo, Muritala Olayinka alli-Balogun, Pa Agbaosi, Rita Anomorisa, and Jackson Anomorisa. Sadly, some of the most notable informants have passed away since we last met: Joseph Kehinde Adigun, Anthony Davies Eros, Capt. Cosmos Niagwan, and Reuben Lazarus. Although the final product will appear long after the last of the interviews was conducted, it is my hope that all those interviewed will find their stories accurately portrayed in the pages that follow.

      There were several institutions and individuals in Nigeria who contributed in significant ways to this study. The officers of the Nigerian Union of Seamen in Apapa, Lagos, helped me to locate former seamen, and also enabled me to conduct interviews in their offices. Adeola Lawal, the late Joseph Kehinde Adigun, and Jackson Anomorisa all referred me to key informants. I also had the honor of working with outstanding research assistants in Lagos. Lanre Davis located the first set of retired seamen. He also conducted a preliminary set of interviews that were extremely rich in content and served as an important basis for the rest of the research. Adeola Thomas Ayannubi and Alex Tayo located and interviewed some of the seamen’s wives and assisted with transcriptions. I have the most sincere gratitude for the assistance I received from Friday Aworawo. With great perseverance and personal dedication, Friday sought out informants, set up interviews, and helped to locate important archival sources. Throughout very long days and weeks of interviews, he guided me through dozens of chaotic neighborhoods and suburbs of Lagos. Friday’s engagement with the project and the insights he shared throughout helped to shape many of the ideas that emerged during the fieldwork, and his contribution was fundamental to this research. I also thank his wife, Biola, for her support.

      The staff at the Nigerian National Archives in Ibadan helped me to locate many key documents. The Nigerian Institute of International Relations holds a very well-organized collection of newspaper articles related to shipping. I am indebted to Capt. Alao Tajudeen, who suggested I search a forgotten closet in the Apapa headquarters of the Nigerian Shipping Federation. There I discovered a large collection of uncataloged ship logbooks from the entire era of the Nigerian National Shipping Line. These logbooks were an invaluable source of information regarding the daily lives of crews on NNSL ships. I would also like to acknowledge the late Capt. Cosmos Niagwan, who gave several lengthy interviews regarding the liquidation of the NNSL and allowed me to review his personal archive of the proceedings. Lawal Bello Dogarawa, of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, shared his research on Nigerian shipping. Ayodeji Olukoju has been an extremely warm and helpful colleague every time that I have been in Lagos. Paul Osifodunrin graciously helped me to locate research assistants.

      Several archives outside of Nigeria provided essential documentary evidence of Nigerian seamen employed by British shipping lines. The Elder Dempster archive at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool was a vital source of information for this study, and the staff there provided tremendous assistance on several research trips. The Modern Records Centre of the University of Warwick houses the archive of the International Transport Workers Federation, and the staff there was extremely helpful in providing material on the Nigerian seamen’s union. I was also aided by records on British shipping at the British National Archives in Kew Gardens, and the Peter Waterman Papers at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to several people in the United Kingdom who provided interviews and answered endless queries about the historic relationship between Elder Dempster and the Nigerian National Shipping Line. The historian Peter Davies has published extensive and detailed research of the Elder Dempster Lines that provided essential background for my work, and Peter also gave a very informative interview early in the project. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Kenneth Birch, former Elder Dempster executive. Following an initial interview in Liverpool in 2009, Ken has generously provided thoughtful responses and clarifications to several queries over the years. I also thank former seaman Derek Bailey, who worked on NNSL ships in the very early years. Derek provided a wealth of information regarding the inaugural journeys of Nigerian ships, and his experiences and insights have greatly enriched this book. Photos were generously provided by Chris Clarke, Claes Moburg, Malcom Cranfield, Paul Strathdee, and Pete Bass.

      I prepared the final manuscript while on sabbatical leave at the HUMA Institute at the University of Cape Town. As a visiting scholar at HUMA, I was provided with the space and resources that enabled me to complete the