By Stephen Ubanna
Barely two months after Bshir Jamoh, OFR, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, gave his words to Folasade Ogunsola, a Professor and Vice –Chancellor, University of Lagos, UNILAD, south western Nigerian to ensure the completion of the Institute of Marine and Transport Technology Studies, IMS, in the University by the end of April 2024, the reverse appears to be the case.
The NIMASA Director General, may have shocked industry operators as he has moved ahead to hand over the ultra-modern building complex housing the Institute of Marine and Transport Technology Studies to Prof. Owunari Georgewill, led Management of University of PortHarcourt, Rivers state, south-south Nigeria.
The ultra-modern multi-million project which was said to have been the initiative of Patrick aAkpobolokemi, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the agency, according to Osagie Edward, an Assistant Director and the agency spokesperson dates back to 2012 /2013, when the then CEO and his Management team took a decision to build a maritime and Transport training Institute in the six geo-political regions of the country comprising of south east, south-south, south west, north central, north east and north western.
One of the maritime training institutions for maritime Capacity development was said to have been slated to be built in University of Lagos, UNILAG, south west Nigeria while the second of the training institutes was slated to be to be built at University of PortHarcourt, Rivers state, south-south Nigeria, a school that had produced , the likes of GoodLuck Jonathan, who eventually became President of Federal Republic of Nigeria and where Akpobolokemi , Dakuku, Peterside, both former CEOs, and Jamoh, the current NIMASA, CEO, had obtained their Ph.Ds .
Jamoh, the NIMASA boss, may have shown promises of helping the school that he was inaugurated as Chairman, Governing Board of the Centre for Logistics and Transport Studies, CELTRAS by Prof. Stephen Okodudu, a former Vice Chancellor, of the University.
Recall that he had said that the appointment will spur him to work harder to not only elevate the position of CELTRAS, but also improve transportation, generally in the country. While the UNILAG, project is still ongoing, the remaining four other maritime trainings institutes are currently been constructed in the south eastern, north central, north eastern and north western geopolitical regions.
There was the initial fears that the laudable maritime projects will be abandoned by the Jamoh-led Management since Dakuku Perside, who had inherited project and continued with it had been removed from office by former President Muhammadu Buhari .
Given his determination to complete the Marine and Transport Technology Training Institutes in the various Universities where it has be sited across Nigeria, the Kaduna state bon technocrat was said to have seen the need to review the initial contract sums of the project because of the high cost of building materials in order to commence it without further it.
The review of the contracts for the building of the maritime training institutes may have informed why the contractors quickly mobilized on site in UNILAG, UNIPORT, and other Universities across the country where the institutes have been located.
Jamoh, the NIMASA, who had described ‘’any investment in education as worthwhile’’, was said to have pursued the completion of the multi-million naira projects with vigour as the agency was said to have made funds available to ensure the projects were not stalled.
The NIMASA CEO, may have been encouraged to put on his weight on the completion of the marine and Transport Technology Training Institutes in the six Universities across the six geopolitical regions of the country as Research has shown that ‘’lack of education is relatively responsible for maritime crimes in the Niger Delta region, particular, Bayelsa, Delta , Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Rivers state.
An elated Jamoh, who had continued with the execution of the maritime training institutes as initiate by past management was said to have thrown a challenge to the benefiting Universities ‘’to ensure this maritime Institutes will be instrumental in making Nigeria a major maritime nation like the North American country of the United States, US, United Kingdom, Asian countries of China, Singapore and take the lead from Kenya, in the African Continent.
With the Completion of the University of Port Harcourt project in the south –south geopolitical region and without waiting for the other building projects in other regions to be completed and handed over to the beneficcaries at the same time, Jamoh, the NIMASA, boss was said to have handed the completed ultra-modern building complex to Prof. Georgewill, the University Vice Chancellor and his Management team recently, amid applause.
An appreciative Georgewill, who could not hide his feelings was said to have given kudos, to Jamoh, the NIMASA, CEO, and his Management team, ‘’for selecting UNIPORT, as the location for the Institute of Marine and Transport Technology Training Studies in the Niger Delta region’’ region.
The Uniport Vice Chancellor, was said to have assure the NIMASA helmsman, that the University Authorities will do everything within its powers ‘’to provide adequate faculty facilities to ensure that are accredited and recognized world –wide are fully covered to equip the graduates from the Institute to compete favourably with their contemporaries from other maritime institutes and universities across the world.
The assurance from the UNIPORT Vice Chancellor, may have gladdened the heart of Jamoh and his management team that it was not a waste of resources to have invested in the maritime and Transport institutes in six Universities, across the six geopolitical regions of the country that was said to have gulped millions of naira so far, with the continued devaluation of the naira to the US dollar, European Euro and the British pound sterling by the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government that had made the cost of cement and other building materials very expensive.
The rising cost of goods and services due to the poor management of the Nigeria foreign exchange market may have informed why there had been pressure on the Nigerian President from different quarters to sack Olayemi Michael Cardoso, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
