Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) to empower staff for efficiency

Tayo Oladipupo . —-

Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron is set to provide capacity building for its staff in terms of training on modern teaching facilities as obtained in other climes.

The Academy added that it is also set to provide free food for cadets to ease the burdens of the parents and wads.

Maritime Academy of Nigeria’s Head of Public Relations (PRO), Mr Netson Peters made the disclosure on the school campus.

He said the training would afford cadets the knowledge and requirements for modern maritime training.

Peters said the Rector, Commodore Emmanuel Effedua, had put strategies in place to ensure that academic staff are given priority on matters of capacity building that will rub off positively on the cadets and students being trained at the nation’s premier maritime training institution.

According to Peters, more lecturers of the academy will now be participating in International Maritime Organisation (IMO) programmes unlike in the past when non-academic staff members were given priority for such meetings.

Peters said arrangements are in top gear to include the hundred percent feeding of the cadets in the 2019 budget of the academy.

He said the cadets presently pay little which is subsidized and that the new plan will ease their sponsors of such burden as Federal Government will bear the cost through the academy.

”My Rector has gotten support of the Minister of Transport to expand the opportunities for academic staff to get exposed to retraining programmes and improve their capacity to train our cadets better.

”He is also managing the issue of unqualified persons serving as academic staff, like you see a lecturer who read forestry and other courses not related with the core mandate of this academy to train seafarers.

”We are committed to producing quality maritime manpower that will operate in modern ships and contribute to our national and global economy” he said.

Peters took reporters round the academy showing ongoing upgrades of lecture theatres to be fitted with modern teaching and learning aids, main auditorium, electronic library, refectory cadet hostels and some newly completed structures for improved security on the campus to protect lives and government properties.

Reporters were also shown the Rector’s Lodge which was uncompleted before the present administration was appointed but has since been completed and made available for 15 members of staff to live in to ameliorate their accommodation challenge.

He explained that the academy’s emphasis is to produce quality graduates that will match international standards. According to him, admissions were suspended last year to put the academy in proper shape to cater for cadets needs.

The academy, according to Peters, is also working on ensuring that Nigeria regains her right of place on the continent among maritime nations with quality manpower aided by up-to-date technology.

He said, plans are on to fit the school with modern simulators that will enhance proficiency on board modern ships.