The New Face of Maritime Academy, Oron

May, 16, 2015 – There is no gainsaying the fact that the tenure of Mr. Joshua Onun Okpo as Rector, Maritime Academy, Oron has been epochal. The eventful tenure which grinds to an end on July 27, 2015 can be described as the finest moments of the institution if we go by the revolutionary development strides in academic, manpower development and infrastructure within the period.

It is a period many yearn for replication in the belief that such other tenure with same giant strides would leapfrog the institution to enviable height and turn it into the pride of our nation.

Maritime Academy of Nigeria , Oron is a federal government institution. Just like any such institution of learning which is universal, the school is opened to the world for the inculcation of knowledge and training of manpower for the maritime industry. It is why in its early days it had leading experts like Mr. Radja Copal, Mr. Dandy who represented UNDP, Captain Asad who was from Egypt and Commodore Hussein also from Egypt .

They all headed the institution at one point or the other. They were people from other sections of the country who also headed the institution. One can recall the era of Captain Onoja, Captain Olu Akinsoji who came from Federal Ministry of Transport. Engr. Okon Edward Bassey, an Oro son took over from Captain Akinsoji but was hounded out of office by his brothers within six months. There was also the era of Engineer Ebong Nseyen which enjoyed longevity for about 10 years.

Following the end of the tenure of Engineer Ebong, the Federal Ministry of Transport in its wisdom sent one of its foremost directors to head the institution. The reason for that decision was not readily known. Pundits believe that the Ministry may have decided to use one  of its own to ensure strict compliance to policy guidelines of the ministry as it pertains to the operation of the school.

In their thinking, perhaps, such a person having been part of the policy formulation would be able to internalize the nuances and set a template not only for the smooth running of the school but meeting the ultimate objective of producing quality manpower for the maritime industry at a global scale. Perhaps the most salient of all the considerations, many believe, was that a director drawn from the ministry would use his clout and contact to achieve milestones for the institution. And in many considered opinions, these have become true.

As a director in the Ministry, Joshua Okpo seems to know the politics of running such a important institution. His administrative acumen has also given him leverage as he has brought it to bear maximally in the way he has run Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron as the Rector these past four years. In the area of academics, Mr. Joshua Okpo ensured the procurement of accreditation for the following departments : Marine Engineering department; Nautical Science department; Maritime Transport department; Boat/Ship Building department. Maritime Transport Department also runs a post-graduate diploma programme as well as Consultancy Programme. He has complemented this with robust staff development training that has witnessed the sponsorship of personnel to further studies within and outside the country.

For instance, the likes of Mr. E.E. Okon(Nsuka); Pastor Dunya (UK); Mr. Kehinde (UK); Mrs. Atim Ikara ( France ); Mrs. Eno ( France ); Mr. William Udie ( Sweden ); Dr. Evans(Unical) etc are some of the beneficiaries studying in institutions across the globe.

The Joshua Okpo administration has also fared remarkably in the area of infrastructure. From the gate, one is enthused by an amiable ambience that comes with the new look of the main gate owing to renovation. The compound is riddled with a network of well paved roads connected to each other. The environment is made even more serene with well -trimmed grasses, short shrub-like trees complemented with beautiful flowers to give the premises a natural grandeur. Of course there is street light to give it aesthetic effects especially in the night.

The school premises is also dotted with countless functional buildings with some being newly constructed while others are renovated. They include, to mention a few for reasons of space; Nigerian Ports PLC block, Administrative block, Auditorium which has been given a befitting look, well equipped refectory with beautiful sitting arrangement, Library and Research centre, newly constructed Marine Engineering Workshop, newly completed  Bursary block, Medical centre etc.

Indeed, the era has recorded giant leaps in construction. In the area of procurement of equipment and establishment of state-of-the-art workshop, the Okpo tenure seems to be conscious of the fact that technical proficiency is key to the maritime sector. And

to produce viable manpower, personnel must be exposed and made to familiarize themselves with the appropriate machines and equipment and their manner of operations. It is why you would find today in Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, equipment like 360 degrees Simulator; Capsules for cadet training, CNC (Lathe) machine in Marine Engineering Workshop; Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics Labs; Full mission bridge Simulator; CNC Milling machine. Boats have also been acquired for use and to ease practical learning.

Other public utilities and exigencies have also received boost in Okpo’s era. There is water project which is well reticulated to deliver water at strategic places. Electrification projects have also been prioritized with the new buildings connected to the power grid. Available slips are well fitted with railings. The administration has also introduced the services of tricycles to facilitate the ease of movement within the school premises. Mention must also be made of the assiduous efforts of the school administration under Okpo to prevent erosion.

One cannot fail to mention the many on-going projects including Phase III perimeter fence which have all combined to turn the school premises into an active construction site. Joshua Okpo’s achievements in the last four years which ends in July are bourgeoning. It is difficult to accommodate them in a small treatise like this which is the challenge of this writer. Many believe that he took up the challenge and sought with every fibre of his being to make a difference and leave indelible legacies.

That he has succeeded in doing that is incontrovertible. But all these may pale into insignificance if the raging xenophobic tendency that is playing out in Oron is not curbed or rid with vehemence.

One of the quests of every right thinking Nigerian is how to turn MaritimeAcademy, Oron into a University. It is learnt that when Mr. Joshua Okpo assumed duty, he also expressed that wish. It is public knowledge that upgrading the status of that institution has been cardinal on the agenda of Governor Godswill Akpabio.

At different fora, he prodded Mr. President to make a pronouncement on it and all of such times, the president carefully skated and avoided yielding to that request. It is therefore unfathomable for people to blame Joshua  Okpo for the non-upgrading of the school alluding that it is his  administrative style that has stultified the action.

This is far from the truth. Joshua Okpo as a person is making concerted efforts to secure affiliation that would make Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, a degree awarding institution. This has been mooted only as an option if the upgrading of status fails.

Unfortunately, ignorant people who are up in arms against Mr. Joshua Okpo would not hear of this. Okpo’s crime is not performance but that he is not from Oron. He is accused to have claimed to be of Oro origin when he first came until members of the community where the institution is located discovered that he is not one of them and that he is from Cross River State. That a person they consider a foreigner is occupying the seat of a Rector has incensed them beyond reasoning. But Joshua Okpo does not need to come from Oro nation to be the Rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria.

And so he did not lie. All he needed was to be qualified and he was qualified. The sentiment of indigene ship does not only lack validity, it is primitive. This kind of attitude is a sad commentary on our civilization and sense of nationhood. Very recently we all joined to condemn the xenophobic attacks in South-Africa. And behind us, we are caught in the vortex of the same tendency even with a brother whom we share intelligible language.

Over a period, some people of Oro extraction have developed a tendency that conveys the impression of clannishness. This has remained a bane to political advancement as it has generated sustained suspicion. Our Oro brothers must through their actions or inactions change the growing public perception to give room to relationships of mutual trust between them and other groups.

It is even worst when they allow the tendency of clannishness to interject a school system of the status of Maritime Academy which is a federal institution. When it is time for Oro to produce the Rector, it would come naturally and not through fiery and belligerent agitation.

NB:Sylvester Okwong is contributing this piece from Oron.