About two weeks after its held the ground-breaking ceremony of a maritime university and dockyard at Okerenkoko in Warri Delta state , the Federal Government, the Federal Government has voted another N2Billion for the establishment of a maritime training institute in Degema Local Government in Rivers state.
The maritime training institute is to be sited at Obu-Ama in Degema Local Government of Rivers State is however specifically to train ex-agitators in the government’s amnesty programme.
About two weeks after its held the ground-breaking ceremony of a maritime university and dockyard at Okerenkoko in Warri Delta state , the Federal Government, the Federal Government has voted another N2Billion for the establishment of a maritime training institute in Degema Local Government in Rivers state.
The maritime training institute is to be sited at Obu-Ama in Degema Local Government of Rivers State is however specifically to train ex-agitators in the government’s amnesty programme.
Announcing the project when he visited the community recently, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, disclosed that it was in honour of leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force and former President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Alhaji Asari Dokubo. He also added that the institute would gulp N2 billion and it would train 500 persons at a time.
It is also expected to be completed in one year.
The Special told the ecstatic community that the project “is sited here in honour of one of the greatest minds of our struggle, Asari Dokubo. He has contributed his quota; he has struggled on behalf of the Niger Delta people. He has drawn the attention of government severally to the underdevelopment and poverty issues in the Niger Delta. Today, government has responded in its little way through the instrumentality of the presidential amnesty office in siting a maritime institute that will at a time take 500 delegates.
Speaking further on the project, Kuku said, “This project is going to cost no less than N2billion. Because of the rain and the period the budget was passed, it is going to be a project that will be completed within a year.
Continuing, he added: “Today I am here as an Ijaw son representing the president in his transformation drive of developing the people and various lands in this country. We have come to meet the Obu-Ama community, his highness, Harry and his entire chiefs, community leaders, youths and women in our desire to site a maritime training institute at Obu-Ama.
“There will be hostel facilities, and there is going to be staff quarters. This is going to be a project that will bring business, employment and empowerment to this community and environ.”
He said the presidency had defended the project before the National Assembly, adding that the Obu-Ama (also known as Harry’s Town) was chosen as a means of spreading development to coastal communities.
“The project we are going to site here is called Maritime Training Institute. This project when completed is going to accommodate 500 students at a time. We are also going to have hostels that will accommodate 500 people and there will be staff quarters for those who are going to be lecturers there. Some of them are going to be your sons and daughters. We are going to train them to come and train the people in that school. We are going to send five of your sons outside this country to be trained as trainers in maritime studies. I foresee a situation where this institute will become a university or tertiary institution in time to come.”
In his response, Asari Dokubo said, “This honour is not done to me; it is for the community and every one of us. This institution will metamorphose into a university. Obu-Ama is going to be a university town very soon.”
Discussion about this post