SHIP BUILDING: NIMASA To Convert Technical School, Okoloba into Skill Aquisition Centre

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that it might convert the NIMASA Science and Technical College (NSTC) Okoloba in Delta State into a skill acquisition centre for Niger Delta youths on how to build ships, small water crafts.

Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh stated this in a chat with newsmen, saying that the second option for the NSTC is to turn it into a satellite campus for the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko.

According to him, the agency was directed by the Ministry of Education to hands-off running of academic institutions since it is not its area of specialty.

He however said the NSTC facility was too massive and important to be abandoned and allowed to waste.

He informed journalists that contractors of the project who have hitherto abandoned the site of the project, have now returned back to site, and all their money have been paid by NIMASA.

Speaking, Dr Jamoh said “I have two proposals for the school, it is either we turn it into a skill acquisition centre and make it private, or we deploy a carrot and stick approach which involves some of the Niger Delta youths that want skill in terms of ship repairs, in terms of building small craft ships and so on. They would come there to learn”

“The second option is to turn the place to a campus of Nigerian maritime University”

“We are still working on these two positions, we are yet to come out with a plan on what we need to do, but preferably, we would like to hand the facility over to the university after completion, this would be the best way to handle that mighty edifice and investment” he said

While speaking on the abandonment of the school for so long time, he said “The cost of maintaining the school was too high, secondly, we were directed by the ministry of education that every agency that is not specialised in terms of education should keep off on issue of education, so we had to keep off on issue of Maritime University Okerenkoko and we had to keep off on the technical college Okoloba.
But with the University in Okerenkoko, every year, we provide funding for them so that it would not die”

“On the technical college, we wrote the Delta State Government to come and take it over, because it is not our speciality area. For many time they didn’t respond, until I sent delegates to the school, when they came back with pictures, I was fascinated by the large structure.

“It doesnt matter where it is situated, it is Nigerias money that was invested there, but now weeds have taken over the school.

“I asked the procurement department to go and evaluate what happened at the school, many of the contractors complained that they were not paid, I directed that the contractors should go back to site and I paid their money. Now they are back to site” he said