The Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) has revealed that it has taken more than 30 per cent of non-existent contracts awarded by past management of the Academy to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC).
According to the Rector of the academy, Commodore Duja Effedua (rtd), while addressing maritime journalists in Oron, Akwa Ibom State recently, “We had to carry out a financial audit of the Academy to know where we are and how much we truly owe. We are almost done with that and most of our former contractors who did genuine jobs have been paid.
“However, in the cause of the audit, we have seen more than 30 per cent non-existent contracts where contractors were filing in request for payment. We have already taken the matter to the EFCC and the ICPC. They are looking for these contractors now because most of them have disappeared into thin air.
“One contractor came and submitted a debt bill of N51million to me, which the Academy is yet to pay him. When I called my procurement people, they said he didn’t do the job. So I called him in, engaged him in a discussion while we were being videoed. After the meeting, I asked him to come back the next day for an enlarged meeting with the EFCC and the ICPC. We are yet to see him till date.
“Through the audit, we have been able to block all revenue leakages, and that is why we were able to single-handedly finance our soon-to-arrive simulator and complete many abandoned projects without any funding from anywhere aside our statutory allocation that comes in from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).”
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On certificates issued by the Academy, the Rector revealed that due to the proliferation of the Academy’s certificate by fraudsters, the Academy have introduced a new certificate which has security features and are very difficult to forge.
On the issue of power supply and transportation, the Rector acknowledged a challenge in that regards. In his words, ‘We have been able to buy new buses for movement of students and staff. All new buses are to be only used for official purposes.
“In the area of power supply, we have bought two 250KVA generators because there is no power supply in Oron. In the area of cutting of weeds to avoid dangerous reptiles like snakes and others, I was told on resumption that the Academy pays N200,000 to clear weeds. I had to buy two machines that clears the entire weeds in the Academy within one or two days because I cannot pay N200,000 to some people to clear weeds.
and then