A group of youths from Akwa Ibom state has kicked against efforts to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria into a University.
Last week in Lagos, Akwa Ibom State Youth Council and the Supreme Council of Oron Youth declared at a press conference, that they want the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron to be upgraded into a degree awarding institution, but it should not be converted into a conventional university.
A group of youths from Akwa Ibom state has kicked against efforts to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria into a University.
Last week in Lagos, Akwa Ibom State Youth Council and the Supreme Council of Oron Youth declared at a press conference, that they want the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron to be upgraded into a degree awarding institution, but it should not be converted into a conventional university.
The youths also stated that the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) does not have the capacity to provide the requisite funding for the academy if it eventually transmute to a university.
Speaking on behalf of the indigenous youths, President of Supreme Council of Oron Youth; Chris Ante told journalists that as a specialised academy which was established to train mariners, there is need for government to fund it adequately.
" I want to stand here to say that the Oron people do not want a conventional maritime university, rather we want the academy to be upgraded to a degree awarding institution"
"Why we do not want the academy to be a conventional university as canvassed by some section of the Oron people is that if the school becomes a conventional university it will be funded by the NUC"
"NUC does not have what it takes to provide a requisite funding for the academy, thereby will kill the purpose for which the school was established"
He said that at the moment the institute gets it 5% funding from the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as enshrined in the agency's Act, adding that the Rector of MAN Oron Mr. Joshua Okpo is even canvassing for the fund to be increased to 10% in order to acquire more equipment and infrastructure for the nautical school.
"If MAN Oron becomes a conventional university, such funds use for upgrading will no longer be coming from NIMASA", the President, Supreme Council of Oron Youth explained.
He stated that like the Nigeria Defence Academy was upgraded to a degree awarding institution and run by the Ministry of Defence, MAN, Oron should be upgraded and still be under the Federal Ministry of Transport.
"If the school is turned to a university, there are possibilities of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to stop the 5% funding to the school."
"Also, the school is key to the development of our maritime potentials and the development of our economy. We also use this medium to ask the federal government to increase the 5% funding from NIMASA to 10 percent so that the academy can be funded adequately.
The youth groups however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to provide training vessels for cadets of the institution.
They said providing training vessels for the institution would help solve the problems of sea time being faced by the cadets.
According to them, since the death of NNSL, there have not been training platforms for cadets churned out in the academy.
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