MARITIME UNIVERSITY: Delta Govt Set Up Committee To Resolve Relocation Of NIMASA Floating Dockyard 

The Delta State Government has set up a committee to address calls by stakeholders in the state to relocate the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) floating dockyard from Lagos to the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) in Gbaramatu Kingdom.

Gis Royal Majesty, King Williams Naira Ogoba, Oboro Gbaraun 11, Aketekpe, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, had urged the federal government through NIMASA to urgently relocate the Maritime University Dockyard from Lagos to the area.

Deputy Governor of Delta State, Barrister Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, disclosed this at the first matriculation ceremony for both fresh and old students,NMU,, Okerenkoko, Warri South West Local Government Area of the state.

Otuaro,while making a case for the University Dockyard which is to be situated in Gbaramatu Kingdom,  said a committee headed by him has been constituted to interface with the presidency and NIMASA towards ensuring a decision is reached in the best interest of all critical stakeholders.

Otuaro said the state government would assist efforts of the federal government by supporting the rapid growth of the institution to meet the core objectives for which it was established.

The Deputy Governor enjoined the matriculating students to take their studies seriously, advising them to concentrate their energies on their studies and shun distractions.

“You are here only for one purpose. The purpose is to add value to the Nigerian society. You can only add value to humanity when you are trained.

” The untrained mind cannot add value and services to humanity. I enjoin you to invest sufficiently on your mind to become productive tomorrow”, he added.

The over N50 billion, floating  dock which is currently  lying idle on the Lagos waters ,arrived the country in June 2018.

Recall that the specialised university took off a year ago,agitations from some APC chieftain for it to be scrapped.

Similarly,  Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was serious about leaving lasting legacies of infrastructure and human capital development in the Niger Delta region.

Prof Osibanjo, who was represented by the Special Assistant on Niger Delta to the Presidency, Mr. Edobor Iyamu, noted that the federal government’s quest to build the region was far beyond its interest on oil and gas resources derived from the region.

He said the government of Buhari through New Vision of the Niger Delta (NVND) has mapped out a development plan for the region towards addressing the age-long under-development of the oil-rich region.

Osinbajo posited that the federal government is desirous of making the university a world-class institution of learning and a place of excellent to meet the maritime demands of the nation.

“NMU, Okerenkoko is one of the strongest demonstrations of commitment of our administration to developing the Niger Delta.

 The new vision for the Niger Delta is to ensure that the huge resources of the Niger Delta are put to work for the good of the people of the region.

“There is potential not only limited to oil and gas. Niger Delta will soon not be defined by only oil and gas but by human capital resources. We have a vision. NMU will be known all over the world as a centre of Maritime excellence”, the Vice President said.

However ,the Vice-Chancellor NMU, Prof. Maureen Etebu commended the President Buhari-led government for matching words with action, saying 2017 visit of Vice President Osinbajo to the university campus was the life changer for the success story of the NMU.

Prof Etebu stressed that the maritime university is of strategic importance to the socio-economic growth of the country considering the enormous waterways, geographic, economic and security importance attached to the waterways in Nigeria.