THE Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi has bidded the Maritime University, Okerenkoko a goodbye, as he hinted that the Federal Government has scrapped the Maritime University project which was proposed by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Amaechi gave the hint when he appeared in Abuja before the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, headed by Senator Ahmed Sani, to brief the Senate panel on the activities of the agencies under his supervision.
The Minister said that the two transport institutes in Zaria will be considered for upgrade to
University status as opposed to building a new one.“We have Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria and we have the Nigerian College of Aviation in Zaria which we could upgrade to a University status and NIMASA is proposing to build a new one.”
He also lambasted the former administration of the agency for using it as a conduit pipe.“Currently, the way NIMASA is, if you look at it very well, it was worse in the last administration. It was as if it was established just for the purpose of collecting money and nothing more. What we need to do is to ensure that NIMASA discharges its core responsibilities.”
The minister said if NIMASA failed to perform its core responsibility, then it has no business existing. “If it is just to collect money from individuals, anybody can do that. We can hire a tax collector to collect money from maritime operators on behalf of Federal Ministry of Transport.
“So it is either NIMASA sit up and carry out its own responsibility or we come to the National Assembly to repeal the Act setting it up and allow the Department of Marine security in the Ministry of Transport discharge the responsibility currently being discharged by NIMASA”, Amaechi said.
The National Association of Nigerian Students, Zone B has condemned and rejected cancellation of the Nigerian Maritime University, Gbaramatu in Delta State. The association in a statement said it is disheartening that the Federal Government of Nigeria rather than support the move by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency to offer qualitative maritime educational service to the Nigerian populace and benefit of the maritime industry, it chose to truncate a lofty project for reason that are irrelevant.