The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has carried out inspection of facilities and teaching staff of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Akwa Ibom.
Rector of the Academy, Commodore Emmanuel Effedua (Rtd.) told our correspondent at the weekend that the NIMASA Team on inspection tour of the Academy, commended the infrastructure, training equipment and requisite lecturers for the training of cadets.
“The NIMASA Inspection Team was in the Academy and see our facilities, from the hostels to the classrooms, to the laboratories, engineering workshops and training aids,” the Effedua said.
“Indeed, the team expressed satisfaction with what they saw on ground and said the facilities and quality makes it possible for the Academy to compete with what obtains anywhere else globally,” Effedua said.
Speaking further, the Rector said that NIMASA also discussed with the Academy on how it could take on the training of some students on the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), since it has approval to train more cadets.
Although the discussions are still on, the Academy had pruned the number of cadets admitted as it focuses on maintaining global standards for number of students against available training infrastructure.
The Rector, however, disclosed that the Academy now has ready for use, newly-built hostels with capacity to accommodate up to 300 cadets.
A key issue discussed, according to Effedua, was on how NIMASA and the Academy would work to enhance the Certificate of Competency (CoC), which is issued to seafarers by NIMASA.
“We discussed on how to enhance the CoC issued by NIMASA. So, NIMASA and the Academy are looking at further modalities for that improvement. The discussions are on and at the right time, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh will make the details known.
“Of course, as a certificate that should be used globally, the talks will involve some quality assurance companies outside Nigeria,” the Rector noted.
The CoC is a form of certificate given to mariners to enable them work on ships. It certifies a mariner’s knowledge and skills to work on board ocean-going ships.
Effedua also disclosed that in addition to the Academy’s engagement of six new lecturers for Schools of Marine Engineering and Nautical Science, NIMASA pledged to support with the engagement of foreign lecturers for the Academy.
Meanwhile, the Academy has just just put in place its marine laboratory , with plans on the way to build a bigger engineering workshop, which should be ready in December.
The Academy is also set to take delivery of its simulator, which had been on transit due to the challenges caused by Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides, the Academy has also set up smart classrooms and all its lecturers are adequately ICT-compliant.
On that note, the cadets have completed their semester classes online, as well as taken their examinations, while the finalists would come in for their examinations in December, with full observation of Covid-19 safety protocols.
