Converting Maritime Academy Oron To Varsity Will Undermine Specialised Skills—Alumni

The Alumni of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron (AMANO), have warned that converting the institution into a conventional university will undermine the specialised skills vital for the growth of the nation’s marine and blue economy.

Speaking in a virtual interview with journalists, AMANO President Emmanuel Maiguwa stated that the fresh conversion push by the Oron community would compromise the institution’s professionalism, adding that the success of the blue economy hinges on competency, which is already in short supply.
Maiguwa, who expressed the Alumni’s full support to the academy’s Governing Council in rejecting the conversion, stressed that AMANO’s interest was purely to guarantee competent and skillful manpower to help Nigeria achieve its blue economy objectives.

He questioned the sincerity of the government’s blue economy drive if it fails to protect the institution responsible for filling the critical skill gaps required for that growth.

Maiguwa also clarified that the issue of conventional university is not about denying community development, but prioritising the national interest, noting that the negative impact of a skill gap at MAN Oron would not only affect the sector’s growth but also be felt across every sector of the economy.

He stated that while the community might believe a conventional university would lead to growth, the notion prioritises local development beyond the development of the country.

To de-escalate tension, Maiguwa called for decisive action from the federal government, stressing that the only missing piece in resolving the debate is the government’s decisiveness in taking a firm position on what is best for the country and correcting the distortion caused by previous legislative attempts.

“I can tell you that all the members of AMANO who are from Akwa Ibom, including those who are from that community, have always taken the side of the need to make or retain the professional structure of the maritime academy. Among professionals, we don’t see division when discussing stakeholders.

However, in terms of the community, I think that communities generally, all over the world, as we have seen in Nigeria, if you give an inch, they want to take a mile.

“So there is a need for sensitisation. However, in the midst of that sensitisation, the government should take a stance. The government should take a leadership position to say, hey, this is what is good for the country, and this is why we are doing it. So we end this once and for all.

“There is a need for more stakeholder community engagement. We have been doing that, and we’ll continue to do that. The only thing missing is the decisiveness of governments.”

Maiguwa said it’s getting to a point where the government needs to lead the conversation, saying they don’t know the direction the government is taking.

“If the government comes up to say, this is what we are going to do, and this is the timeline which we are going to deliver, AMANO will be in the forefront of speaking with the community, engaging with the community to make them understand. But we have been doing that in the past. You know, you move on, you don’t know which direction the government is taking.

“In the first place, it is not the industry that distorted this status quo. It is the government that distorted this status quo. Not the government of this administration, but it’s still the government.

“And if this administration is saying, oh, it’s not our government that causes distortion, then the buck is now on your table to correct it. So, we want to see the leadership that will enable us to return to that engagement and continue sensitising members of the community. I agree with you, sensitisation, collaboration and discussion are necessary to calm the tension.

“We have been doing that, but it’s getting to a point where we need to get governments to really come and lead in this conversation. Government cannot sit on the sidelines while people like us from the private sector are always shouting about what needs to be done when we are powerless in actually executing anything.”