PANDEF condemns slash of take-off grant for Maritime University

THE Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has expressed disappointment at the reduction by the National Assembly, of the take-off grant of N5 billon provided for in the 2018 Appropriation Bill, for the take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko.

The group also condemned the non-implementation of financial provision in the Act establishing the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State.

National Secretary of PANDEF, Dr. Alfred Mulade, pinpointed the infractions weekend in Warri, Delta State.

He wondered why the National Assembly chose the two specialised institutions located in Delta State for such treatment knowing full well that the specialised universities were established with the mandate to train manpower in the maritime and oil/gas industries in Nigeria.

Mulade noted that the ill-treatment was capable of truncating the objectives upon which the universities were established.

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“It is quite disheartening to note that the less than adequate budgetary provision of N5billion for the take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, was ridiculously slashed to a paltry N3.4 billion and this is unacceptable.

“To add to this is the very disappointing non-financial implementation of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE Act) is an affront and defeat on the realisation of the core mandate of this institution.

“Nigerians will recall the height of violent agitations in the Niger Delta which resulted in drastic downward turn in oil production to an all-time low level of 800,000 barrels per day, PANDEF leaders intervened, with a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari on November, 2016, on the need for immediate take-off of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, and the upgrading of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State, to Federal University of Maritime Studies, Oron, were major items in the list of demands contained in the famous PANDEF 16-Point Agenda, for peace in the Niger Delta region.