A leading maritime law firm, Akabogu Law, has offered a scholarship for further studies worth Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (₦450,000) to Miss Adoga Joyce Ohekwuru, the Best Graduated Maritime Student in Nautical Science, who was identified and awarded by Platforms Communications during the 9th edition of A Day With Nigerian Maritime Students held earlier in May 2025.
For Miss Joyce, a student of Delta State Maritime Polytechnic who completed her National Diploma in Nautical Science in 2023 and graduated with Distinction, having scored 3.76 in her Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), the recognition followed her emergence as one of the few students shortlisted for the Best Graduated Maritime Students Award (BEGMASA) and her subsequent invitation by Platforms Communications to attend the 2025 AMSAY Conference, where she received the award.
It emerged in the course of the event, which had Dr. Emeka Akabogu SAN as Chairman, that many maritime graduates including Miss Adoga, are unable to complete the mandatory STCW basic courses required for the next stage of their careers due to funding constraints.
Following the event, Akabogu Law approved the sponsorship of Miss Adoga’s basic mandatory professional training as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The ₦450,000 scholarship fund awarded to Miss Adoga by Akabogu Law covers the mandatory and professional training courses required for career progression, including Elementary First Aid, Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities, Personal Survival Techniques, and Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting.
The scholarship also covers Basic Training for Oil and Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations, Medical Care, Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (Other than Fast Rescue Boat), International Safety Management (ISM) Code training, as well as Security Awareness Training for All Port Facility Personnel.
Already, Miss Adoga has started and completed the first batch of the mandatory trainings at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, between October and December 2025, and will complete the remaining courses in the first quarter of 2026.
Speaking in Uyo while making the official presentation of the scholarship fund to the beneficiary, the Senior Partner of Akabogu Law, Dr Emeka Akabogu SAN, stated that the firm’s CSR is aimed at educational support for high-performing but financially disadvantaged individuals that can impact Nigeria’s maritime industry, a profile which Miss Adoga was assessed to meet.
