Rector, MAN, pledges to reposition institution to meet global standard
News Analysis by Taiye Elebiyo-Edeni
Abuja, March 20, 2018(NAN) The Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom, Commodore Emma Effedua has pledged to restructure and reposition the academy to meet international standard.
The academy was owned by the Federal Government, under the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the training of Cadets and to produce quality seafarers.
The institution originally called the Nautical College of Nigeria, was established in 1979 to educate and train shipboard officers, ratings and shore-based management personnel. The first batch of cadets graduated in 1983.
However, for over 15 years the academy was faced with some many challenges ranging from community conflict, poor management, infrastructural deficit, unqualified trainers among others.
These shortcomings of the academy had created a great hindrance in its ability to produce quality seafarers for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the world at large.
The rector, however, acknowledged that most of the challenges confronting the academy were surmountable.
Effedua said that the major challenge faced by the academy was the uncompleted projects, saying that the management was seeking the government’s permission to convert some of the buildings to hotel for commercial purpose.
The rector said that the buildings can also be used to accommodate students that are for short courses, adding that such idea would help to generate more revenue for the academy.
Effedua noted that the restructuring and repositioning of the academy was timely as International Maritime Organisation (IMO) was gradually losing hope in Nigeria producing quality seafarers.
He promised that the new management and the governing board will work together in few months on the infrastructure and cadets to get the required training expected by IMO standard.
The Federal Government had on March 9, 2018 inaugurated the governing board of five agencies under the ministry of transportation including MAN board headed by Ademola Seriki.
The board saw an urgent need to inspect the academy facilities towards its restructuring to arrest the deteriorating state in line with its mandate and core values.
Mr Ademola Seriki, Chairman of the governing board, decried the level of abandoned projects and obsolete infrastructure in the academy.
He observed that some of the equipment purchased 25 years back dotted the foundry shop of the institution and underscored the need to replace them with modern ones.
“I am disappointed, particularly over abandoned projects and the large areas of land that have not been developed. We have a lot to do.
“We need to put the necessary infrastructure in place; we must really work in synergy with our sister agencies like the Nigeria Port Authority, NIMASA, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and others.
“We must build a relationship that will result in acquiring assets that will be of benefits to everyone,’’ he said.
However, the Chairman, House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Mr Mohammed Umar-Bago, who also went on an oversight function, had advised the management to sack the 83 staff employed in 2016 without due process.
The Chairman said that the academy was a special school that needs professionals to train the cadets not just employing people that are not relevant to the mandate of the academy.
“Rector, the issue of this 83 staff, sacks them if their employment did not go through due process; that is how touts are employed.
“Any employment that does not have approval means there was never any employment in the first place.
“It does not make sense to have 700 staff in an academy of just 300 cadets. That means the academy is over bloated. I will encourage you to right-size. Even if people don’t like it, it must still happen.”
The lawmaker attributed the poor infrastructure to the debt the school owed contractors, and urged the management to pay-off debts of contractors to enable them complete all abandoned projects.
Umar-Bago also charged the institute to address over 6,000 petitions against the academy.
According to him, the new management should avoid any form of petition against the academy and pay more attention to staff welfare and promotions.
“I want to charge this management on staff welfare, promotion and retirement; this should be our focus for 2018 budget.
“We want to reduce acrimony to zero per cent and reduce the issue of petition; we also want to reduce every forms of dissatisfaction and lack of motivation among staff.
“We have more than 6,000 petitions against this academy only, we don’t have space for the petitions, pay all your contractors. This school is indebted that is why we have so many uncompleted projects,” he said.
He expressed the willingness of the committee to support the management to move the institution forward, saying “it is sad seeing Nigerians going outside the country for courses obtainable in the academy.’’(NAN)
TY/AFA
Edited by Felix Ajide