- Experts in country to deploy modular floating dockyard
- Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (left) presenting a souvenir to the representative of the Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU), Bello Dukku Salihu, during a courtesy visit by the institution’s management to the NIMASA headquarters in Lagos
By Anthony Nwachukwu
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has advised the management of the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU), Okerenkoko, Delta State, to seek national and international accreditations for its certificates to enjoy global recognition.
Jamoh, who gave the advice during a visit to the agency in Lagos by a delegation from the institution, urged the management to collaborate with the World Maritime University (WMU), among other specialised higher institutions of learning, for advantage.
The “Nigeria Maritime University can conveniently bridge the gap in human capacity deficiency in the Nigerian maritime sector,” a statement from the Head of Corporate Communications, Edward Osagie, quoted him to say.
“All you need to do as management is to seek collaboration with similar specialised institutions and ensure that NMU certificates enjoy global recognition.
“Our goal is to seek top level manpower development from NMU instead of the current situation where institutions abroad are preferred to Nigeria-based.”
While assuring of NIMASA’s continued support to NMU, even though it has handed over the institution to the National Universities Commission (NUC), Jamoh said the agency still makes budgetary provisions for the institution to ensure the completion of projects it initiated in the varsity.
“Our belief is that a well-funded NMU will greatly enhance youth employment and engagement, particularly in the Niger Delta region. Our financial commitment to NMU is based on principle of capacity development,” he said.
He further disclosed that experts from the manufacturers of the modular floating dock have been in Nigeria for over a month working on the technicalities of its deployment, while assuring that the facility would be available for NMU students for practical experience when it becomes functional.
“Experts from the firm that built the modular floating dockyard have been in Nigeria for quite a while now, providing technical support and working on how to deploy it productively,” he stated.
“When I gave them a deadline recently, I was given professional counsel not to rush the deployment. If we have waited this long, we might as well wait a while longer and ensure we don’t regret a deployment in a hurry.
“Our students from NMU and other institutions will be welcomed for practical experience in mechanical, electrical, welding, and other areas when we begin full operation.”
Meanwhile, he disclosed that a proposal to convert the NIMASA Science and Technical College, Okoloba, to an NMU campus was being considered, adding that the facilities at the institution were being grossly under-utilised.
Earlier, the Chairman of NMU governing board, represented by Bello Dukku Salihu, had disclosed that the school was in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ghana Maritime University.
The delegation expressed delight at the clarification about the floating dockyard, which they had perceived to belong to the school, stating that, “with better understanding about the history and technicalities involved in the floating dockyard, we are satisfied with the steps NIMASA management is taking.”
