The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh has restated the agency’s commitment to the development of the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU) Okerenkoko Delta State.
He assured a delegation from the institution which visited NIMASA management in Lagos that despite handing over the university to the National University Commission (NUC), the agency remained committed to supporting it by completing projects it initiated.
He encouraged the management of NMU to seek national and international accreditations to ensure that the certificates from the school enjoy global recognition.
Jamoh also urged the institution to seek collaboration with the World Maritime University (WMU), amongst other specialised higher institutions of learning.
‘Nigeria Maritime University can conveniently bridge the gap in terms of human capacity deficiency in the Nigerian Maritime sector. All you need to do as management is to seek collaboration with similar specialised institutions and ensure that NMU certificates enjoy global recognition. Our goal is to seek top level manpower development from NMU instead of the current situation where institutions abroad are preferred to Nigerian based,’ the DG said.
He noted that, despite handing over the university to the NUC, the agency still made budgetary provisions for NMU to ensure the completion of projects which the agency initiated at the university. ‘Our belief is that a well-funded NMU will greatly enhance youth employment and engagement, particularly in the Niger Delta Region of the country. Our financial commitment to NMU is based on the principle of capacity development,’ Jamoh explained.
Commenting on the Modular Floating Dock, the NIMASA boss noted that experts from the manufacturers of the Floating Dock had been in Nigeria for over a month working on deploying the dockyard.
He also informed the NMU team that the facility would be available for its students for practical experience when it became functional.
‘Experts from the firm that built the Modular Floating Dockyard have been in Nigeria for quite a while now, providing technical support and working on how to deploy the dockyard productively. When I gave them a deadline recently, I was given professional counsel not to rush the deployment. If we have waited this long, we might as well wait a while longer and ensure we don’t regret a deployment in a hurry. Our students from NMU and other institutions will be welcomed for practical experience in mechanical, electrical, welding, and other areas when we begin full operation’, he stated.
Jamoh also disclosed that a proposal to convert the NIMASA Science and Technical College, Okoloba to a campus of the NMU was under consideration. ‘Our facilities at the Science and Technical College. Okoloba in Delta State are grossly being underutilised’, he remarked.
On his part, the Chairman of the NMU Governing Board, who was represented by Alhaji Bello Dukku Salihu, said that the school was in the process of signing an MoU with the Ghana Maritime University.
He commended NIMASA for constantly supporting the university. Salihu and his team expressed delight at the clarification about the Modular Floating Dockyard, which they had perceived belonged to the school. ‘With better understanding about the history and technicalities involved in the Floating Dockyard, we are satisfied with the steps NIMASA management is taking’, Salihu said.
