The President Emeritus, Essu Nlap Oro, Lagos branch (the Supreme Council of Oro Nation Youths), Ulap Chris Ante has called on the youths of Oro nation and the entire Akwa Ibom state to give unflinching support to the new management of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron under the leadership of Cmdr. Duja Effedua (rtd) and the Interim Management Committee led by Chief Adebayo Sarumi in the ongoing restructuring and repositioning of the institution.
To reinforce this support, Ante who is the leader of the youths of the Oro Nation in Lagos and the south west recently met with the aggrieved Oro youths and elders who are not comfortable with the recent developments at the academy to appeal to them to support the team.
The meeting which took place over the weekend at the Akwa Ibom Community house, Lagos had in attendance over 500 youths and elders.
Reacting to one of the issues raised at the meeting, Chief Barrister Effiong Etta, a legal practitioner in
Lagos cited the recent quest by the National Assembly to transform the academy into a university status and queried the decision to bring a retired military officer with no requisite experience to run the academy instead of a renowned professor to transit the academy to a full fledge University.
Comrade Victor Ekpe, Secretary General Ibom Professionals Forum, Lagos in his reaction pointed out the purported mass sack in the academy targeted at the Oro people.
He maintained that there is no way peace would reign in the community if this perceived hidden agenda is allowed to sail through.
Also speaking, Engr. Sunny Obon, President Oro Nation League of Professionals, harped on the necessity for the academy to partner with the host communities and relevant institutions of Oro nations for the singular purpose of moving the institution forward.
Responding to all the positions canvassed at the meeting by the stakeholders, Ante who is the Omon 1 of Lagos, gave reasons why the new rector of the academy should be supported.
According to him, contrary to the argument of non-qualification, the rector as a retired Naval Officer has the required experience to run the academy going by his Naval training.
He also said the new rector is an Oron man having come from the NigerDelta region and from Delta state which shares common affinity and ancestral culture and tradition with the Oro peopl,by this understanding, he has promised not to succumb to any pressure or arrangement to hurt the Oro people in the course of his administration.
On the issue of the university, the Omon 1 said the new rector is not in any way against the transition of the institution into a university as it is not within his powers to do so.
Also, on the issue of mass sack, Ulap Ante said the rector has promised never to sack Oron people as being speculated, rather that he would work within his power to carry out massive promotion within the academy and to rebrand the institution to measure up with the best maritime institutions in the world.
“He is such a cultured gentleman from what I perceive,” Ulap Ante said, urging his people to immensely support and cooperate with the new administration by giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Ante further reminded the Oro people that Chief Sarunmi “is not a stranger to us and from available records, he is an inlaw to Oro nation and would not in any way promote actions that would undermine the interests of the people.”
At end of the meeting, a motion to support the new management for the purpose of moving the academy forward was moved by Chief Engr. Emmanuel Essang, a stakeholder in Oro Nation,Lagos and seconded by Comrade Victor Ekpe.It was adopted by all to support the new administration.
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