The above words of commendation freely showered on the Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Commodore Effedua, by the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Dakuku Peterside, was truly deserving and a honest appraisal of the developmental strides at the academy from the very day Commodore Effedua assumed office as the Rector, a year ago.
The commendations came when the NIMASA DG visited the academy on Friday, September 14, 2018 on a facility tour of the academy for him to compare what he has heard and read in the media with what was really on ground. And, judged by his positive remarks on the Rector and his management, he was not disappointed. Conversely, the NIMASA DG’s express of satisfaction was a confirmation of the self-evident transformation the over 40-year-old academy has witnessed in the last one year of Commodore Effedua’s passion-for-change and purpose-driven administration that has won the hearts of critical stakeholders and those who have kept pace with developments in the academy.
Impressed as he was and full of praises after having been taken around the campus where many dilapidated structures or those abandoned for years have been renovated, remodelled or undergoing construction by the current management for the intended purposes, the NIMASA DG further commended the Rector for his vision and taste for quality in interpreting the blueprint of the Academy and added that he was personally pleased that the Federal Government has finally found a round peg in a round hole to holistically transform and reposition the foremost maritime institution for greater benefits to Nigeria and the sub-region.
The DG categorically made a correlation between repositioning the Academy in terms of availability of facilities, quality of instructors and professional competency of cadets and the maritime narrative of the country. He said that the status of the Academy has a direct bearing on the economy of the country; the reason government cannot treat the Maritime Academy with kid-gloves.
“The importance of the maritime industry in Nigeria is directly related to the fortunes or performance of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN). That is because the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, grooms personnel for the industry. Therefore, if we expect the nation’s maritime industry to be top-range, the quality of personnel produced by the Academy also must be of top range. Again, if we expect the quality of products from the Academy to be top range, then the quality of facility and instructors must also be at par with such expectations. It implies that if we want the industry to advance with the realities of the time, we must necessarily address issues pertaining to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria,” Mr Peterside stated.
However, there was much to glean from Commodore Effedua’s brief highlight of policy and objectives of his administration, challenges and experiences he has had since assumption of office. Commodore Effedua stated that his mission as Rector of the Academy was on how to change entrenched wrong perceptions and the narratives of the Academy, with a view to leaving a legacy that stakeholders and posterity will be proud of.
According to him, “I must confess that I personally feel sad about where the Academy is today having been established about 40 years ago. It is far away from its contemporaries and even those that were founded long after it. Something must be done to redeem the grand objective of establishing this great institution. And my goal is to achieve that to the best of my ability and this would be seen in the quality of products produced by this Academy under my watch. If the needed quality of staff, facilities and appropriate exposure are given, I can guarantee you that there is no how cadets from this academy cannot compete comfortably with their counterparts elsewhere in the world.”
The Rector enumerated some of the challenges facing the academy to include unavailability of core maritime professionals such as master mariners and navigators; obsolete teaching aids; lack of simulators and training ship for cadets’ sea-time and bloated staff strength where over 70 per cent is non-teaching staff. Other challenges according to the Rector are incursion of local politics by members of the host communities, which have seen volumes of frivolous petitions supposedly written against the management of the Academy; bloated population of cadets and lack of publications or books.
Even in the face of these challenges, the Rector has creatively devised a peculiar modus operandi towards overhauling the structures and policies of the Academy to achieve optimum results and strong diplomacy with host communities. Such include enforcement of discipline, training and restraining of staff at home and abroad through workshops, reduction of staff volume through redeployment, audit of certificates to ensure transparency. He Rector also involves in Corporate Social Responsibility for the communities.
As to what may have been the secret to this phenomenal success in a place that not a few have created the impression that nothing can work, the commodore stated that the magic lies in first having a personal belief that bad situations can be changed into a positive with the right mental attitude, determination, competence and integrity. The second, according to the highly tested naval officer, is creating an atmosphere that everyone can see what you see and freely key into your leadership pattern.
Indeed, one major aspect of the Rector’s characteristic integrity and frankness in handling issues of the academy could have been dictated in his statements. Whereas others in the past have run down the government in the area of funding, the Rector gave what can be taken as a perfect piece: “Let me say something no one may be bold enough and frank to say: funds from NIMASA to this Academy cannot strictly be said to be inadequate; but there are irregular. It takes so long before they come. And that affects our operations so adversely. I wish they come when they should.”
The Rector nonetheless expressed deep appreciation to the Federal Government and NIMASA for their commitments and interventions in critical areas of needs in the academy over the years. He, however said that much still have to be done in the observed areas of challenges to bring the academy to international standard. The promises and assurances given by the NIMASA DG were both encouraging and indicative of where the academy should be.
After giving some suggestions on some stop-gap measures that could be adopted to tackle some of the challenges, Mr Dakuku Peterside said his agency will do everything within its power to make the academy realise its aims “Let me make it very clear that NIMASA will offer help and support in all areas of need. This will include bringing in core maritime professionals as external lecturers, initiating engagements and negotiations with affiliate organisations on exchange of programmes and facilities, acquiring simulators, ensuring timely release of funds due the institution, including donations of books.
“I give my word that NIMASA will go all out to support the present management of the academy because we are convinced beyond words of its capacity to deliver, so that together we can advance the vision of the maritime industry in this country. This is also in line with my strategic agenda for a complete turnaround of the sector for the envisaged benefits in all ramifications. In collaboration with sister organisations, we will train Cadets and lecturers in highly professional aspects in places like Singapore, Egypt, etc.”
Individuals and organizations that have visited the Academy in recent times have all expressed positive shock and unsentimental appreciation for the Rector on account of the rapid and overwhelming changes in the Academy that previously was a shadow of the vision of the founding fathers largely because of poor management and inability of those in charge to interpret the grand objectives for the establishment of the foremost maritime training institution in Nigeria forty years ago. It is only encouraging that Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua is a game changer with the magic wand to actualize dreams.
Facilities inspected include the ongoing remodelling of library and resource centre, state-of-the-art survival pool, lecture theatres, and others.
- Okpo, a public affairs analyst, is based in Uyo.
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