The Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN),Oron, Akwa Ibom State, now wears new looks with its newly-built ultra-modern infrastructure strengthening its foundation for global competitiveness.
The Honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday did the unveiling of the newly-built facilities including a Multi-purpose Auditorium, a Library, a Simulation Centre, a standard Swimming Pool and an ICT Centre among a number of other face-lift work done in the academy.
He commended the academy for having prepared the foundation to build other very important structure, seeking in particular, the engagement of more academic staff and equipping of the library with the most-modern materials for the students.
Addressing a gathering of the guests and the academy’s staff and students on the occasion, the minister said it was important that the academy got competent teaching staff and encourage them to remain by giving them good allowances, just as he also encouraged the training of present staff.
He said: “The Academy can introduce good allowances to encourage very competent teachers to come and live here and teach the cadets. Besides, staff members should be trained even for PhDs so that there are more teachers to teach.
“I congratulate the new management. But you must develop. You must purchase equipment for training the students to make them more competitive and your certificate recognised with foreign institutions training seafarers.”
Amaechi emphasized the importance of a more conducive learning environment with 24-hour electricity supply, having not more than two persons in a room, and ensuring that each student begins to work with
their individual laptops.
their individual laptops.
He expressed confidence that building on the new approach would certainly grow the academy in the desired direction, even as he called for adherence to discipline among all.
Earlier, Rector of the Academy, Commodore Emmanuel Effedua(Rtd.), in his presentation on the school’s activities, told the minister that a key strategy adopted to sanitise the academy was to prune the number of admission to less than 300, from the over 1000 it used to be.
Effedua told the Honourable Minister that with not more than 30 students in a class, the learning environment was significantly enhanced with the facilities in the school.
He promised that the academy would engage more teaching staff member, especially from Egypt, while other expatriates would handle the training of the cadets at the Simulation Centre, and with a view to also training staff of the academy to take up such training in due course.
On sea-time training, Effedua said: “We have resolved with the shipowners on providing sea-time for the cadets. We want to also engage the Navy to also take some of the cadets for sea-time. We are certain on this being settled by this year.”
