Established about 31 years ago, the Oron, Akwa Ibom- based Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN)has been experiencing harsh criticisms; especially from concerned stakeholders. The latest unsavoury comments came from master mariners under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) who fell short of calling for the closure of the once-strategic maritime training institution.
Established about 31 years ago, the Oron, Akwa Ibom- based Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN)has been experiencing harsh criticisms; especially from concerned stakeholders. The latest unsavoury comments came from master mariners under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) who fell short of calling for the closure of the once-strategic maritime training institution.
At its recent dinner with industry stakeholders, NAMM.s president Capt Jimi Adu categorically lampooned the MAN, Oron for failing in its obligation and for failing to meet the objective for which it was established.
Capt Adu consequently declared that because of its failure, his association has commenced discussions with some foreign interests that will culminate into the establishment of a maritime training institution that may eventually push the Oron Academy away.
For all its years, MAN, Oron as it is fondly called has been struggling to train would-be marine engineers and master mariners, apart from thousands of other professionals for the maritime industry.
Apart from the Oron academy, there are pockets of institutions that are rendering almost the same service, but only MAN, Oron is recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). We are aware of the existence of College of Fisheries and Marine Technology in Lagos,. There are some private maritime training institutions as well.
Even though created at about the same time, the Nigerian academy cannot match its counterparts elsewhere in Africa, such as the one in South Africa, Egypt and the neighbouring; Regional Maritime Academy in Ghana.
The sad news is that Nigerian cadets prefer to go to the Regional Maritime Academy in Ghana for their mandatory post or pre- sea going training. The naked reason is that the Oron academy is not fully equipped to offer such training opportunities.
The neglect that the Academy has suffered is partly responsible for the high rate of unemployment and employment of fake and half-baked seafarers. The worst effect is that better qualified professionals are often engaged bay ship owners instead of Nigerian half baked professionals.
We are sure that if MAN, Oron had been equipped adequately to offer mandatory training leading to certification to the academy’s cadets, perhaps many of them whose only certificate is the Higher National Diploma in Nautical Sciences or in Marine Engineering will not be roaming the streets instead of being on board.
It would also have helped the cause of Cabotage; especially the aspect that deals with crewing of Cabotage vessels by Nigerians
Some stakeholders have advocated that establishing more academies is what is required to re-awaken MAN, Oron. Such people have suggested that rival academies should be created in each of the country’s geo-political zones. As a matter of fact, were it not for political intrigues, the academy that was proposed for Badagry in Lagos state was to have come up since 2008.
Another school of thought had also argued that all that the Oron Academy required was adequate funding and subsequent upgrading to a University to boost its status. Top among the group is the institution’s rector, Mr Nsenyen Ebong who once disclosed that the hoist community had even provided additional acres of land to meet the requirements of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
As much as we agree that the academy has not done very well, its challenges are partly as a result of government’s neglect and wrong decisions. The incumbent rector is arguably not the most qualified when he was appointed, one of the most decisive criteria that got hm the job was the fact that he is a ‘son of the soil’; an indigene.
No doubt, the academy is struggling to meet its objectives, but it probably would have been a different story today if it had not been staffed of funds and neglected by agencies that are supposed to support it. There was time that agencies under the transport ministry were regularly made to contribute to infrastructural development of the agency; that accounted for the number of buildings that currently bear the names of agencies like NPA, NMA, Nigerian Shippers Council and others. But that was achieved under the military when the minister only needed to direct the agencies to do it.
All that have stopped now as MAN, Oron is now left at the mercy of its benefactor; the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which painfully often starved it (MAN, Oron) of its statutory allocation as enshrined in the NIMASA Act.
Rather than rush to establish rival institutions and abandon the Oron academy, those (like master mariners) who are already thinking of such an action should first try to salvage the old institution. From all available facts, when the Regional Maritime Academy (now University0 in Accra was facing similar challenges, its founders did not rush to create alternatives, they rather pumped in more money to revitalize it.
Perhaps, a starting point for stakeholders; especially, master mariners and marine engineers is to donate their time voluntarily and become resource persons to the academy. Nigeria is blessed with hundreds of marine engineers, master mariners, naval architects, hydrographers, surveyors and other skilled professionals who can volunteer hours per week. In addition, there are several ship yards and ship repair facilities in the country that can offer training facilities for the cadets.
On its part, government will need to drop the idea of establishing new academies until the one in Oron is re-tuned to meet the standard of a maritime training institution that is befitting a maritime nation like Nigeria.
Importantly, the appointment of a successor to incumbent rector; Mr Ebong should be based on merit and nothing more.
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