Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Commodore Duja Effedua (rtd), last week played host to a battalion of Oron youth groups at the school auditorium, where he enjoined them to close ranks and be more united in their relationship with the academy to be able to attract the right patronage and benefits accruable to them.
The rector explained that the future of the academy and indeed the nation at large lay with the youths, and urged them to shun destructive tendencies and embrace constructive engagements aimed at promoting the national objectives for setting up the academy, while leveraging on legal opportunities which host community right bestow on them.
Commenting on the meeting, the Rector said: "There is nothing much we discussed; it was a honest, frank and short meeting at our instance. There has been load of lies and misrepresentation out there, and we thought there was need to meet them, we started with the youths, to assure them government overall intentions are honest"
"Since the repositioning and restructuring exercise, we noticed deliberate attempts to spread falsehood, to cause disaffection. Since the future of the academy and country is in the hands of youths, we thought we should engage them and reassure them. There are benefits every host community gets by way of patronage, by way of social and economic involvement. There are more than twenty different youth organizations here, everyone trying to relate with the academy. We told them to organize themselves into an acceptable and reasonable number to make it neater , logical and more reasonable to continue to relate with them purposefully".
"We believe once they do this, then a proper synergy will develop. We also plan to meet with the elders groups soon and our message will be same. We all have stakes in MAN, it is important to understand out various objectives and have a focused common direction", Effedua said.
A one-on-one with leaders of some of the groups corroborated the rector's position on the future of the academy, and the new refreshing air of host community relations with the academy, especially under the wind of change.
Comrade Sunday Odikwu, President Oron Youth Forum who corroborated the rector's claim said he and his members were amenable to dialogue and improved ways of engagement that is mutually beneficial.
He said, "The rector invited me and the leadership of my group to the meeting. Not much was discussed; he said the current dispensation will not engage in sectional business of exclusion. I am not an illiterate and I am not a tribalist. MAN is a national institution; I understand that Nigeria's collective interest is represented here. But as responsible youth group, we also have our stake as host community, we will support any initiative meant to create order and sanity while we seek for responsible attention.
"Like I said earlier nothing much was discussed because we agreed that the rector and his management should discuss with the elders first before an enlarged meeting."
Also Mr. Sam Osay, President Oro Patroitic Youth Organization noted that his group is prepared to embrace dialogue with the aim of achieving growth and development of the academy.
He however like many others expressed disappointment over what he term as delay in the take off of MAN as a maritime university.
Prince Uwe Ebek Uwe of Peace Keeping Association and Sunday Osikiru Ontori of Common People Organization Worldwide expressed confidence that their next meeting with the management of the academy would be more engaging and productive in such a way messages will be conveyed to President Muhammad u Buhari and the Transportation Minister, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi.
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