Stars Maritime Academy Finalizes Construction Of Swimming Pool For Cadets Training

By Roland Ekama

As part of efforts to boost requisite knowledge for cadets and  promotion of human capital in seafaring profession, Stars Maritime Academy (SMA) has completed the construction of a world class swimming pool .

Rector of SMA , Professor Reuben Ovai who disclosed this on Friday during a chat with our correspondent in Ogun State, revealed that the academy also constructed a fire house for cadets training which has be certified International Maritime Organization (IMO) specifications and standard.

Ovai stated that the foremost private maritime institution is working round the clock to meet with the requirements of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Apparently unsatisfied with the agency’s reaction on the development, Ovai reiterated that NIMASA is playing politics whereby discouraging the progress of private maritime schools, while also recalling that the swimming pool and fire house construction projects were capital intensive yet no encouragement for the apex regulatory agency.

The Rector noted that the new facilities would serve as one of the core mandates for the seafaring profession adding that the school was accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and also award Ordinary National Diploma (OND) for the graduating students.

According to him,SMA was established to bridging the gap in seafaring profession in the country, noting that government owned maritime institutions cannot address the yearnings of the marine and blue economy ecosystem.

He said the challenges affecting the academic aspect of seafaring activities were enormous , while appealing for the regulatory agency to assist in raising human capital for the maritime industry.

He lamented that management of NIMASA has continued to frustrate efforts put in place by the school to get a holistic training for cadets, while affirming that SMA needs the collaboration and cooperation from the authorities and not the pull down syndrome which the academy is battling with at the moment.

The Rector decried the failure on the part of NIMASA officials to come inspect the newly built swimming pool noting that accreditation of the maritime academy for the training of basic safety mandatory courses like STCW ’95 as amended in 2010 was needed.

Citing instances despite the completion of the swimming pool, Ovai reiterated that the school has not commenced the training on Standards of Training Certification and Watch Keeping (STCW) 95 courses, even as he added that letters have been written to the regulatory agency for approval yet responses have been discouraging.

“Sometimes there is the need to rethink and encourage ourselves. Encouragement does not necessarily mean giving me money but to support with the best way to success and get things done the right.

“Am not issuing STCW because I have not been approved by the regulatory agency to issue STCW to students but as a result of that we have applied three times yet one excuse to another discouraging our existence .

“We are not asking for money from the agency or anybody but encouragement. The school is trying to raise human capital and we need the cooperation of the government rather than paint the academy black and I don’t think that is difficult from the regulator”,Ovai lamented.

Giving vivid knowledge of the implications for the school to run STCW programmes when approved by the government, the Rector affirmed that the process will bring about comprehensive learning for the cadets/seafarers’ , which informed the construction of the swimming pool and fire house.

He said Nigeria has the capacity to run the National Seafarers’ Development Programme (NSDP) back home but lamenting that reverse is the case because of political undertone.