Comrade Umar Jimoh (president, senior staff NPA)
The maritime academy business is free entry, but what government needs to do is to instil some standard into it, Nigeria is considered as a hub of maritime activities in Africa, so we must be the hub in everything including infrastructures, training and capacity building through adequate academies. To me there is nothing wrong in creating more maritime academies, I believe with time they will all take a reasonable shape just like we have in other sectors of the economy, so the coast is free for more.
Also, creating more maritime academies in the country will be healthy for the maritime industry, because it will create more rooms for competition, but any individuals or privates who might want to establish an academy must be serious- minded.
Aleakhue John Okpono (Merchant Navy)
In the city of the blind a one – eyed man is king, it is wrong to have only MAN, Oron in Nigeria. The School of Oceanography and MAN, Oron were established by the federal government but since then how sincere has government been in terms of equipping the Academy, there is an insulator donated to MAN for months now and we still haven’t heard of its taking off, all these culminate into what made certificates from there not to be recognized internationally.
In competition, efficiency becomes the watchword, establishing academies is not the problem, it is the accreditation and the standardization, government should as a matter of urgency provide adequate facilities for the one we have in existence first before we can talk of establishing another academy. They should employ qualified teachers especially master mariners who have had the experience; not half baked teachers who do not know what the inside of a ship looks like. The reason why we have people travelling out of this country to other academies is because there are no facilities, so government should think of upgrading the standard of the Oron academy and equip it, not creating other ones.
Even though establishing more academies will bring in room for competition, let’s see how we do with the one on ground first.
Godfrey Bivbiere (Maritime Reporter)
The question should be should we have many ineffective maritime institutions or just one that is well funded, I believe the answer is to have one functional academy. The truth of the matter is that the Nigerian government (I know) will want to have more maritime institutions as a means of diverting funds into private pockets. Look at MAN, Oron and the number of cadets they push out every year, the problem which the academy is having is lack of training vessels and sea time opportunity which have not made them (cadets) qualify to work on foreign vessels. If this can be in place, you will be surprised that even the foreign vessels will be coming to hire our cadets. So before having more academies, let’s talk of funding the one on ground.
Eugene Nweke (Vice president, NAGAFF)
There is nothing wrong in having more academies but what stakeholders are frowning at is that the one in Oron has not been properly funded by government, they should fund it to meet international standard so that there will be no reason to be going to Ghana or South Africa. If Oron is properly funded we can think about having more academies. MAN, Oron is like a shipyard which no maritime nation can boast without, you can’t boast to be a maritime nation without a training institution.
Ibrahim Abdul (Nigeria Shippers’ Council)
It is pointless creating more Maritime Academies at this point in Nigeria’s history. The reasons for this are numerous, however the following will suffice; the existing Maritime Academy at Oron has not been fully utilized considering the vast maritime activities taking place in the country.
Moreover, creating more Maritime academies would create a situation whereby supply of cadets will be greater than demand thereby creating a situation of unemployment just as in the case of graduates of Universities and Polytechnics.
Furthermore, the resources that will be used to create more maritime institutions could be channelled to other areas of our socio economic lives where the impact would be felt more.
Lastly, what is the need creating more Maritime Academies where the existing one has not been properly taken care of in terms of funding?
Chijioke Ojunta (Universal Shipping Ltd.)
There is no need creating another academy, the one in Oron is enough to train, any training they want can be carried out there. It is worthy of note that in any academy there should be facilities and equipment to train the cadets, you cant be a marine engineer without seeing the engine of a ship or even work on it. The cadets should be trained and provision should be made for equipment to train them.
NIMASA is rich enough to buy at least two training vessels for maritime academy- one in Oron and another one in Lagos.
Ananson Akaso (Lecturer, MAN, Oron)
I am of the opinion that the academy in Oron must be fully developed and then any other academies can come up. It shouldn’t be a political thing inorder for it to be able to meet the needs today.
MAN, Oron has been given university status but the government has not been performing, look at Ghana Regional Maritime Academy, it is well recognized and by 2012 they will start running PHD programme in Maritime Studies and we are here still crawling, we started same 31years ago at the same level.
MAN Oron should be well developed even if another academy must be created, attention should be given to the school not to maritime agencies in the sector alone.
Ademola Irinyemi( Registrar, IFFN)
There is nothing wrong with the creation of maritime academies in some strategic states of the nation, but most importantly, the maritime Academy Oron, should serve as the apex maritime school in the country.
The essence of the establishment of the academy is to develop human capital for the purpose of continuity in the maritime industry, particularly now that the Cabotage Act is beginning to be accorded attention by NIMASA management.
In view of these, governments should invest adequately in the development of the apex academy in terms of infrastructure and other things.
Ebiere Ijeoma (Maritime Consultant)
Creation of more academies is a good idea for Nigeria, but I think the one at Oron is not improving or moving forward because most of their products (cadets) after their programme will have to do training from Ghana or any other recognized institutions in order to get better a job. So I believe when we have what it takes to compete with other maritime academies in Africa the government should invest in MAN Oron , and save our children’s future, because it’s a big shame that we don’t have a well equipped and recognized maritime institution in Nigeria.
More so, the corporate organizations in the maritime sector, through corporate social responsibility can emulate what NLNG did recently or even do better, we love waiting to be pushed before performing in Nigeria and this attitude is creating a lot of setback for us in all spheres of our activities, as its puts the future of the younger generation at risk.
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