MAN Oron Alumni, AMANO, Kicks Against Bill Seeking To Upgrade Academy into University

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron (AMANO) has kicked against the Bill seeking to upgrade the academy into a conventional university in Nigeria.

AMANO however said it supports for the Academy to be upgraded into a “degree awarding” institution, while still retaining its status train shipboard officers and ratings, to provide training for shore-based personal in the Maritime Oil and Gas industry and other specialized courses.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, President of AMANO, Emmanuel Maiguwa Gankino the group has submitted a memorandum, expressing its position to both House of Representatives in the 8th Assembly and The Senate in the current 9th Assembly on the Bill sponsored by Senator Akon Eyakenyi.

Gankino commended the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Ameachi and the National Assembly for their support to the Management of the Maritime Academy, and for bringing significant improvements in the area of infrastructure critical to the success of seafarers training in Nigeria.

He noted that in the past 3 years, there has been significant improvement in the infrastructure and modernization drive of the Academy under its Rector, Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua (Rtd)

While buttressing its arguments on why the Academy should not be turned into a conventional university, AMANO recounted that MAN Oron was first established as a Nautical college of Nigeria in 1979, specifically with a core mandate to train shipboard officers and ratings.

“While this mandate has not changed, the Academy has gone through changes geared toward repositioning her for this role through Decree No. 16 of 1988, which placed her on the current status “Maritime Academy of Nigerian, Oron”.

“The repositioning in 1988 enabled the Academy to provide training for shore-based personal in the Maritime Oil and Gas industry and other specialized courses”

“Maritime education is a specialised training endeavour that provides specific expertise and proficiency for the professional licensing and competency required to manage the industry effectively.

“Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron is presently the foremost specialised institution in Nigeria that provides the full range of professional education and training in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) requirements for the training and certification of seafarers in Nigeria.

“The Alumni of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, as a unified body, believes that it is time for the Federal Government to upgrade the Academy, as it did in 1988, to a degree-awarding institution.

“AMANO is of the opinion that the Academy retains its status as Nigeria’s specialize training institution with a core mandate to train maritime professionals for both sea-going and onshore careers who serve the nation’s maritime, shipbuilding, port operations, offshore oil & gas, and related industries.

“It is to be noted that there is a global shift in the training and education of maritime professionals to a multi-functional level. Modern trends in technological developments and digitalization have made it imperative to train future mariners to meet the new Blue Ocean economy’s demand to operate and manage the maritime assets to achieve it” the AMANO President stated

Continuing, Mr Gankino stated that a commendable effort has been made by the current Rector of the Academy to upgrade and improve the training facilities, including the acquisition of new training simulators and the new arrival of the Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) console.

He argued that with these developments and the expected improvements in quality academic staff, the Academy is in every respect ready to award degrees.

“AMANO does not consider it necessary to convert the Academy into a conventional university. We are of the opinion that it should retain its name as Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, but upgraded to a degree-awarding institution, similar to the following few examples of schools we (Nigerians) Patronize, Massachusetts Maritime Academy – United States, Arab Academy of Science, Technology and Maritime Transport – Egypt, Philippines Merchant Marine Academy – Philippines, Maine Maritime Academy – United States”

“Most of these institutions are degree-awarding but did not change their names to university due to their core and peculiar mandates. As a degree-awarding maritime Academy, restructured and strengthened, equipped with state-of-the-art training facilities, and adequately funded, the Academy can further expand its curriculum to cover courses covering the maritime and offshore oil and gas industries. In addition, it can offer parallel degree and professional license courses for different streams of students based on their individual career choices. This is the practice in many parts of the world”