Analyst Seeks Funding For Maritime Academy

As the nation intensifies efforts to adequately explore  and  judiciously harness  her maritime potentials for maximum economic benefits, an indigenous Public Affairs Analyst Martins F.O.Ikhilae has canvassed an aggressively sustained financial back-up for the nation’s premier citadel of maritime education –the Maritime Academy of Nigeria  Oron, in Akwa Ibom state.

Ikhilae who made the call in Port Harcourt after a tour of the institution’s facilities recently, lauded the  initiative of the academy’s founding fathers which he said must not be allowed to wither due to inadequate funding, stressing that the institution was a blessing to the nation  and Africa in general .

He expressed confidence in the academy’s management team in view of its dynamic infrastructural development drive necessitated by the determination to aid its transmutation into a world class maritime university. He explained that the volume of implemented projects and their sophisticated status were clear indications of the academy’s current management commitment to lead the institution towards the part of greatness.

He also lauded the path initiative of the academy’s founding fathers for considering it necessary to put in place a maritime workforce  training institution of the nature and magnitude for the Federation.

According to  him,  the college occupies a very unique position and therefore deserves to be seen as such through  adequate and sustained government financial attention  as well as  massive collaborative private sector participation.

“ The Federal Government should continuously ensure the availability of dependable financial support  to enable the institution regularly contend with both operational, infrastructural and administrative challenges, private sector involvement cannot be ignored  since  the maritime industry consist of both Government and private operators”, he said.

Ikhilae, an author of three Maritime books contended that the maritime sector of the economy possesses the capacity to provide mass employment opportunities for the nation’s teaming indigenous unemployed youths but requires specialized skills and trainings to make them absolutely suitable for the industry stressing that the role of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria was very vital and out rightly pivotal in this regard.