It is no news that the Senate had resolved at the committee level the bill to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron to a University. The upgrade of the said school to a university has always threatened certain political and ethnic interest in Nigeria.
Forces from the South-West region of Nigeria have been known to attempt to thwart efforts to upgrade the institution to a University. In recent times, forces from the south-south region, particularly the Ijaws, Opobos and Ikweres have joined the fight against the upgrade of the said school for obvious reasons.
This was evident during the public hearing of both bills to establish the Okerenkoko and Oron Maritime varsities in both chambers of the National Assembly. The most visible one was that which was held on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 held at conference hall 034, New Building Extension, House of Representatives, National Assembly complex, Abuja. There, the DG of the NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside openly opposed the establishment of the Maritime University of Nigeria, Oron.
This has been seen by some as Amaechi’s handwriting. Recall that the transportation Minister had initially opposed the establishment of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko but for the minister of State for Petroleum Dr. Ibe Kachukwu who disagreed strongly with him, thereby compelling him to come to terms with the Okerenkoko Maritime project.
Amaechi’s intention on M.A.N., Oron can be interpreted by rational beings as a sinister plot to kill our dream of a Maritime University. If any doubt is raised, then the following begging questions must be answered:
1. Why were the Minister of transport and his inter-ministerial committee shying away from the National Assemby’s public hearing on the affairs of the institution?
2. Why are they resolving to lobbying and bribing the youths in an attempt to appease the host community?
3. Where were millions of naira wasted on the Old Student of the Institution in a bid to gain their support?
4. How on earth can the Minister use a non-academia to ‘reposition’ an academic institution?
5. Why are some staff being favoured and others hunted/retrenched?
6. Why has the recommendation of the committee not been made public for the government to put it on white papers; why make it confidential?
7. Why appoint someone from Delta state (a rival community) to head the so-called repositioning committee?
8. What is the model of the institution they want to reproduce in the Academy?
9. Have regional Maritime University in Ghana, Arab Maritime University of Science and Technology, Egypt, all Maritime Institutions on the surface of the earth all been transformed to degree awarding institution of a Maritime University? Why then is Amaechi and his committee objecting M.A.N., Oron becoming a University?
10. Why are they halting admission for two years and even scrapping out some courses, do they have an idea on how many courses are offered in Maritime Institutions in other parts of the world?
11. Why are our representatives from Akwa Ibom State (both elected and appointed), and even those who claimed to have sponsored the bill silent on the issue; can’t they tow the path of Dr. Ibe Kachukwu?
Obviously, this is not how to reposition an institution!
May I be bold to say this now and for record purposes that the upgrading of MAN, Oron to University does not stop her from achieving its purposes.
I hereby call upon our representatives – both appointed and elected and the government of Akwa Ibom State to rise, speak, resist and rescue the institution, (the only Federal Presence in Oro Nation) from what will form the basis of my next write-up - “the Haters of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron”.
Francis Otioro,
An Activist and a contemporary writer.
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