Stories by RICHARDS ADENIYI
THE Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron, Akwa Ibom State may have wasted a total of N8 billion on jetties and swimming pool construction in the last two years.
The money was from the statutory 5 per cent of release by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to fund the academy. A source at MAN revealed that the management of the institution was not serious about the development of the academy.
According to the source, no attempt has been made by the institution to provide training vessel for the academy. The source explained: “There is infrastructure decay at MAN, Oron as students are sitting on the floor to receive lecture.
It was learnt that academy’s management raised the fees by 100 per cent with effect from the 2014/2015 session. Before the tuition was increased, National Diploma (ND I) and higher National Diploma (HND I) cadets paid N100, 702, while ND II and HND II paid N61, 340. But with the increase, ND I and HND I students now pay N200,704, while ND II and HND II cadets will pay N121,980. A lecturer at the academy alleged that thirty-five years after its establishment, cadets of the academy were still sitting on the floor to receive lectures.
Some cadets of the academy, who spoke anonymously over the tuition fees, said that they could not afford the money. They noted that some of the students had withdrawn from school.“We all know that this is a Federal Government institution and we expect the tuition fees not to be on the high side,” they said.
The school, which was established by the Federal Government in 1979, is still struggling to achieve adequate training for seafarers due to mismanagement of resources.