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Tag: Maritime Academy

  • Reps uncover ‘monumental fraud’ in Maritime Academy

    The House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, on Thursday alleged that there was monumental fraud in Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron.

    The Chairman of the committee, Mohammed Bago and other members spoke during the review of the five per cent NIMASA fund and other internally generated revenue in the 2016 budget, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Reports.

    They threatened to issue a bench warrant against Mr. Kayode Adetunji, Head of Bursary “for misleading the lawmakers.’’

    Bago, who frowned at the N3 billion outstanding revenue from NIMASA, blamed the management of the academy over several inflated project costs.

    A member of the committee, Dan Asuquo queried the acting rector over non-payment of contractors for work completed since 2011.

    “We went through the procurement for some of these projects.

    “For example, the contract for the construction of a three-bedroom bungalow was awarded at N34 million. A kobo has not been paid but N20 million was recorded to have been paid.

    “If you have anything to show, this committee would like to see it.

    “Your accountant or director of finance knows what we are talking about and as a committee we would go to any length to recover this,” he said.

    The committee also queried the N73 million for the cleaning of the academy and N100 million for purchase of two units of generators and inverter.

  • Abandoned projects litter Maritime Academy of Nigeria

    Abandoned projects litter Maritime Academy of Nigeria

    With several abandoned projects at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Kazeem Ibrahym writes that the dream of turning it into a degree-awarding institution may be a mirage, if urgent steps are not taken.

    A visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime, Safety, Education and Administration to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, has exposed a can of worms about how contractors working on some of the projects in the academy abandon such jobs after being given mobilisation fees.

    The visit of the lawmakers was  to condole with the management, staff and students of the Academy over the death of their Rector, Dr. Joshua Okpo, and to familiarise with the Academy’s management and environment, as well as perform their statutory functions.

    The lawmakers were led by its Chairman, Muhammad Bago. He decried the state of infrastructure in the institution. He challenged the management to speed up measures aimed at enhacing development and standards in the institution, for the benefit of the nation.

    Bago, who did not mince words in condemning the attitude of some of the contractors, said henceforth, the management of the institution should stop the award of new contracts. He urged them to ensure the completion of all pending contracts.

    The chairman also said his committee would not tolerate fragmentation of contracts while advising the management of the institution to see the members of the committee as partners in progress.

    Reiterating the committee’s displeasure over the number of uncompleted projects in the Academy, the chairman said Academy’s contractors will be summoned to a meeting holding in Abuja, stressing that contractors who do not deliver their jobs within the stipulated time frame will have their contracts revoked and the funds recovered.

    He also warned that defaulters will be prosecuted by the appropriate governmental body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which is saddled with the responsibility.

    His words: “Let us apply conscience to what we are doing. We are all Nigerians. I am mostly touched with the level of uncompleted projects here. There is no road network here. Some buildings have been completed while some are still at the foundation level. We cannot continue to sink billions of naira here and everything is half done.

    “We are not going to tolerate corruption. This committee will meet with all the contractors. We can bring the contractors to book. Nobody is above the law. We will summon them, if they fail to come, we will declare them wanted. We need to change in this academy. Contractors need to be cautioned. We will not allow a situation where contractors will receive our money and just abscond with it.

    “On the official aspect of our oversight, you have been found wanting, not necessarily directly but indirectly. You are thinking of transforming to a university and you are given huge land and you went to sink a lot of money. We have since where you have sunk this money. But do we have value for the money? No, we don’t.

    “Coming to the main bowl of the institution, we saw a lot of old and abandoned projects. My heart bleeds. Seriously, it bleeds. It is our mission as a committee that by the grace of God before the end of our tenure, your swimming pool, sports complex, the abandoned nautical school and any other projects that are within this institution will be completed.

    “We as a committee and as a parliament that is responsible, we are not going to erect any new project again. All your projects that you have started will have to be completed.”

    Bago however expressed worry over the poor utilization of the Academy’s products, in this case the Cadets, and called for suggestive measures to tackle the embarrassing situation urging the Management to forward a formal request to the National Assembly for deliberation.

    Also speaking, the House Member Representing Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency, Francis Uduyork said the Academy being one of the oldest Maritime training institutions in West Africa deserves to be upgraded to a University and charged the Management to generate a constructive and well-articulated proposal in that respect for presentation to the committee.

    He said: “We as a committee will work with you to ensure that this institution is accorded a deserving status. I believe this institution is one of the oldest of its kind in West Africa and so there is nothing wrong with it becoming a university, so your articulation in the proposal must be well constructed, so we can move this institution forward.”

    He averred that the management could always count on the committee’s support as the committee will ensure that things are done rightly.

    Earlier, in his welcome address, the Registrar of the Academy, Mr. Mkpandiok Mkpandiok had welcomed the visitors to the academy, noting that their visit was timely given the present state of the institution.

    Giving a brief history of the institution, he intimated the committee that the Academy, despite its constraints, has over the years been able to produce competent personnel operating in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond as well as those marine personnel who drive the Oil and Gas sector.

    The Registrar also expressed optimism in the committee’s visit observing that it marks the beginning of better things for the Academy and called on the committee to use the powers within the ambit of the law to upgrade the Academy to the enviable status deserving of an institution of 40 years standing.

    He said: “The Academy has delivered on its mandate of training competent personnel for the Maritime and Allied Industries, we have trained Master Mariners, Marine Engineers, Maritime Administrators and several other professionals. Development being a gradual process we still have a lot of challenges to surmount to be counted among the comity of maritime academics of the world. But we trust we can get there with your support.”

    The lawmakers during the visit inspected the students’ hostels; staff quarters; sports complex; abandoned nautical school; simulation room and the jetty.

     

  • Use Maritime Academy to build capacity, Amaechi told

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has urged the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, to ensure that the Maritime Academy in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, promotes capacity building.

    It urged the government to train the academy’s students on protecting the country’s waterways from pollution, illegal fishing and dumping of hazardous waste, which it noted, were on the rise.

    The associations President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said maritime was a global and lucrative business, stressing that the Federal Government must empower youths and enrich the country through the academy.

    Shittu said it was not enough for the minister to focus on maritime agencies, but to ensure that the institute employs qualified workers and admits qualified students.

    The management of the academy, Shittu said, must ensure that it is alive to its statutory responsibilities, adding that the institution must provide the human capacity required for the sector in addition to serving as a research and knowledge centre for academics and the youths, who are interested in the acquisition of maritime training and knowledge.

    The establishment of the academy, he noted, was in furtherance of the the government’s passion for building local capacity in the sector and the export of such manpower.

    The dumping of toxic waste in the maritime domain and the increasing crimes on the coastline, he noted, require commitment on the side of the Federal Government and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). This, he said, will enhance  cooperation with foreign partners to build maritime capability.

    The ANLCA chief said Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand had set the stage for cooperation between states, both in information exchange and mobilisation of resources.

    Since piracy is not the only threat to maritime security, another member, Shittu, advised the government to adopt best practices that can be implemented.

  • Amaechi orders probe of Maritime Academy over N18b funds

    Amaechi orders probe of Maritime Academy over N18b funds

    Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi is set to probe the accounts of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State over the N18 billion  released to the institution.

    Amaechi, it was gathered,  has ordered the immediate audit of the accounts of the Academy  and the tenure of its Rector, Joshua Okpo.

    The Rector, it was gathered,  incurred the Minister’s wrath last week when he accused the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) of starving the academy of funds. The Minister, it was learnt,  summoned the Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Haruna Jauro and demanded explanation as to why the agency was starving the academy of its statutory five per cent funds.

    “The NIMASA DG was really shocked by Okpo’s allegation and he explained to the Honourable Minister that NIMASA had regularly released money due to the academy,” a source said.

    Jauro, it was learnt, also informed the Minister that NIMASA had released more than N18 billion to MAN Oron between 2009 and 2014.

    It was at this point that Okpo, who also attended the meeting, confirmed to the Minister that the academy had actually received up to N13 billion since 2011 when he assumed duties as the Rector of the institution, the source added.

    “When asked by the Minister  to explain what he had done with the huge sums of money released to the academy against the backdrop of lack of physical infrastructural development of the institution, Okpo was short of a convincing explanation prompting the Minister to order an immediate audit of the academy’s account from 2009 to date,” the source said.

    The Deputy Public Relations of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka said the financial activities of the  institution might be probed by the government.

  • Stakeholders seek govt support for Maritime Academy

    SOME  maritime and the host community of stakeholders the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, have urged the government to ensure that the institution continues to deliver on its mandate.

    This, they said, has become necessary because the Academy under Ambassador Joshua Okpo has remained focused.

    Sammy Otoyo, a maritime analyst said: “The renaissance in 14th century Europe heralded significant changes which transformed men’s ideas and beliefs about several things and their ways of life. In today’s Nigeria, a modern day renaissance of a kind is indeed blossoming in the nation’s premier maritime institution, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, located in the coastal town of Oron in Akwa Ibom State. Oron is a few nautical miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Since Dr. Joshua Enun Okpo took over the affairs of the institution in July, 2011.”

    Johnny Ofuso, a public affairs commentator, lamented that the institution is still grappling with some challenges, but said Okpo’s vision is seeing it through.

    He said: “The present management addressed itself to the challenges and before long essential infrastructure, facilities and equipment hitherto lacking, yet critical to transforming the nation’s premier maritime training institution into an internationally acclaimed Academy are now being given renewed impetus and attention.”

    The goal essentially, is to ensure that graduates are not only recognised by the International Maritime Organisation and other world maritime authorities, but are also able to rise to the occasion when the need arises, he stressed.

    “The Rector and his dedicated management team achieved this feat while upgrading and modernising the institution to conform to international standards.”

    Ofosu recalled that there was a backlog of over 5,000 graduates of the Academy, who had not undergone the mandatory sea-time exposure on board ocean going vessels and as such could not be certified by the IMO, all heaved a sigh of relief as the management team rose to the occasion.

    He said: “Instead of making excuses that the Federal Government cannot afford a training ship to solve the problem, the Okpo-led management commenced efforts to upgrade the standard and status of the institution by successfully signing far-reaching memoranda of understanding with countries and institutions of relevance to its professional training. This is aimed at solving, holistically, the difficulty involved in securing STCW recommended sea-time Berths for the back-log of Academy’s cadets who for several years have not had the opportunity to acquire the much needed experience.”

    Recounting the management exploits of the management exploits Okpo said: “We had an engagement to have the ship-training programme in Istanbul, Turkey, in association with Philippines and Georgia. The institution will ensure that batches of 250 cadets comprising 100 mariners and 150 deck officers are put on board the ship for 12 months to enable them have Certificates of Competence (CoC).

    “The advantage of this arrangement is that apart from being certified by NIMASA, the cadets will also get certification from any of those countries that are collaborating.”

  • Ex-councillors, others seek priority for Maritime Academy

    Ex-councillors, others seek priority for Maritime Academy

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to put the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State on its priority list.

    The Association of Former Councillors of Oron Nation (AFECO) made the call after a tour of the academy.

    The  group praised MAN’s Rector Mr Joshua Okpo for doing a “good job”, saying he has raised the  infrastructure base of the nation’s sole maritime institution.

    Addressing reporters in Uyo, the state capital, after the tour, the group’s President, Mr Okon Edet Iyohokwa, said it was not happy that past administrations neglected the academy’s development.

    He urged President Buhari to assist the institution.

    Iyohokwa alleged that the institution had been under funded by the government, adding that it had not been accorded the status befitting a special institution.

    The group listed some of the challenges of the academy to include its non-listing by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), World Maritime University and other relevant international maritime authorities. These, it said, had reduced its global status both at the international labour market and participation in relevant global protocols and conventions.

    The group, however, was happy with the institution’s Rector for ensuring that MAN was affiliated to other recognised institutions.

    “As former Oron councillors, we have for a very long time been concerned about the fate of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria. As a special institution like the School of Aviation Zaria, Petroleum Training Institute Warri, Nigeria Defence Academy Kaduna, to name just a few, we had hoped for a realistic provision of adequate maritime training for the production of the needed maritime manpower.

    “Top in our worry is the realisation that MAN Oron is just beginning the process of affiliation and partnership with global maritime regulatory bodies, such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and World Maritime University (WMU), and there are other relevant bodies beside these two. We feel sad that with over 30 years of historical sanction, MAN Oron lacks the academic and technical base to qualify cadets based on the Manila Convention, and our cadets are compelled to pursue their course completion programme in other maritime academies, in the world.

    “We do not only find this unacceptable, for us, it is scandalous and seemed to be the height of executive inaction, and or, executive negligence. Knowing the track record of President Buhari, we feel assured that his administration will provide the turning point for the academy. We also feel assured that with the incumbent rector’s track record, Mr. President will not have problems not only in getting his mandate and turn around commitments properly executed, but also timely and expeditiously. As concerned stakeholders, we desire that MAN Oron must take its pride of place as an important component of our economy, and the time is now.

    “Unfortunately, in the past 20 years, we have watched helplessly as the most basic training facilities and assets were not provided. It is clear that training under this reality in the past has been adhoc in nature and incomplete. Funding for the academy is inadequate and we are also concerned about part of the academy’s funding arrangements derived from a statutory five percent of the net earnings of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which is released to the academy at piece meal and at the whims and caprices of the leadership of NIMASA,” he said.

    Its Secretary, Essang Achibong, urged President Buhari to reposition the institution for better performance.

    “We are happy and grateful to God that a man of integrity like President Buhari has ascended to power. We urged him to take more than passing interest in the affairs of MAN Oron in respect of holistically repositioning the academy, and we are very hopeful that Mr. President will afford the incumbent rector a second term appointment to enable him complete the very laudable clean-up programme and enviable developments projects he has started.

    “We feel concerned that since the return to civilian administration in 1999, MAN Oron ceased to catch the list of important departments of growth and an agency of the Federal Government. Yet, this is supposed to be a critical manpower development platform for us as a maritime nation. We feel sad that cadets that graduated from this academy end up being okada riders not because they couldn’t excel academically, but because critical gaps within their completion course content such as mandatory sea time training were not provided due to lack of training ships. They get stuck in the middle of nowhere, like medical students denied their mandatory house-man-ship. This is very painful and we look up to the  administration under  Buhari, to give the academy the lift it urgently requires.” Achibong said.

     

  • Akwa Ibom group seeks more money for Maritime Academy, Oron

    The National Assembly has been urged to enhance funding opportunities for the nation’s premiermaritime  training institution, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) by passing a Bill seeking the increase current five per cent funding from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to 15 per cent.

    The request was made in Abuja on Wednesday by a group, the Civil Societies of Nigeria (CSN), Akwa-Ibom chapter. The group, while lamenting the inability of the institution to meet its responsibilities, blamed the development on paucity of funds and neglect by past administrations.

    The group, led by Richard Wilson, hailed the current management of the institution led by Dr. Joshua Okpo, which it said has improved on the standard of the school. It called for the retention of Okpo as the school’s Rector in view of his achievement so far.

    CSN faulted the planned conversion of the institution located in Oron, Akwa  Ibom State to a conventional university, arguing  that such a decision will rob Nigerians the privilege of the institution established to train marine engineers  and seafarers.

    The group described as mere political move the reported announcement by the immediate governor of the state, Goodwill Akpabio that the Goodluck Jonathan government had approved the school’s conversion.

    “When did the federal government empower former governor Godswil Akpabio to overtly announce the conversion of a highly technical institution such as MAN Oron into a university without strict adherence to due process?

    “The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Convention, which Nigeria is a member state, makes it mandatory for Certificate of Competency (CoC), issued by the institution, to be acceptable beyond the shores of Nigeria, while degrees can only assist the holder in other aspects of maritime education and training.”