The Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, has unveiled community-focused investments, policy alignment efforts, and stakeholder partnerships aimed at deepening industry capacity and local economic integration.

At its First Quarter 2026 Citizens and Stakeholders’ Engagement in Oron, the Academy positioned community collaboration, infrastructure development, and private sector alignment as critical levers for translating national blue economy policies into measurable economic outcomes.

The engagement, with the theme “Leveraging Community Partnership for Effective Implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy,” brought together regulators, industry leaders, and host community representatives, highlighting a coordinated push to align maritime training, grassroots development, and investment flows.

Welcoming stakeholders, the Acting Rector, Dr. Kevin Okonna, described the quarterly engagement framework as a performance-driven mechanism for bridging policy and execution.

“It is pertinent to remind us that the purpose of the quarterly Citizens/Stakeholders’ engagement meeting is to inform the citizens and stakeholders of government’s policies, programmes and projects, obtain the citizens’ buy-in and partnership in the development and implementation of the policies, programmes and projects,” he said.

He noted that sustained stakeholder engagement has begun to yield tangible workforce outcomes, particularly in bridging the industry’s long-standing sea-time training gap.

“The engagement emphasised the need for public-private sector collaboration. The result of that engagement was swift and remarkable as 80 of the 221 graduating cadets were given either automatic employment or seatime training opportunities during the 2025 Cadets graduation ceremony,” Okonna stated.

Building on that momentum, the Academy, he noted, has secured a structured training pipeline through a three-year Memorandum of Agreement with NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited, facilitating onboard placement for cadets.

“A total of 43 Cadets from the Academy have been placed onboard NLNG ships for their STCW Mandatory One-year Seatime experience between December 2025 and February 2026,” he added.

Okonna further attributed the institution’s operational stability to strong backing from host stakeholders, noting that support from Akwa Ibom State, Oron Local Government, and the Eyo-Abasi community has been instrumental, with the Academy reciprocating through local economic contributions such as outsourced security and environmental services.

He, however, flagged infrastructure constraints, explaining that despite heavy investment in rehabilitating the Eket–Oron power supply line, “PHED-reported nationally influenced electricity challenges have hindered the derivation of the full benefit of this investment.”

In his remarks, Governing Council Chairman, Kehinde Olayinka Akinola, underscored the policy significance of stakeholder engagement within the Federal Government’s inclusiveness agenda under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We gather here in compliance with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s directive to hold Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement to communicate Government activities to the citizens as a way of inclusiveness in governance,” he said.

Akinola reaffirmed the Academy’s global standing, anchored on compliance with International Maritime Organization standards, particularly the STCW Convention.

“The graduates of the Academy are sought after by the industry because of the standard. In 2025 graduation ceremony, about 80 cadets got instant employment opportunity as a result of the confidence which the industry has for the products of the Academy,” he stated.

He also cautioned against proposals to convert the specialised institution into a conventional university, warning that such a move could dilute its core mandate.

“Converting the Academy to a University would undoubtedly bring changes, but we must consider whether this shift would enhance or dilute our focus. Our strength lies in our specialised programmes, industry connections, global recognition and hand-on-training.

“Let’s retain the essence of what makes our Maritime Academy exceptional. By doing so, we’ll continue to produce skilled professionals, drive economic growth, and foster meaningful partnership,” Akinola said.

From an industry standpoint, Director General of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Vivian Chimezie-Azubuike, reframed community integration as a core economic strategy.

“Formalising these partnerships is not just a social duty; it is a strategic economic necessity,” she said, noting that informal maritime activities such as artisanal fishing and local logistics underpin sector resilience.

She called for a shift in investor perception toward coastal communities.

“We must move beyond seeing these areas as mere ‘host communities’ and start viewing them as ‘investment hubs,’” she said, adding that targeted investments in infrastructure, cold chain systems and sustainable aquaculture would unlock sector-wide value.

Chimezie-Azubuike described the Academy’s newly commissioned projects as “the ‘infrastructure of dignity’, providing the tools for local traders to thrive and ensure clean energy and water for the community.”

On the community front, Chairman of the Host Community Relations Committee, Okokon Paul Eyo, acknowledged the Academy’s interventions but pressed for deeper institutional frameworks.

“We humbly and respectfully appeal to formalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Host Community and the Academy. This is not a mere formality, but a crucial step towards building a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship,” he said.

Eyo also highlighted employment concerns, noting limited representation of indigenes within the institution.

“We plead the Chairman and Rector to consider employing qualified community members. This will also demonstrate the academy’s commitment to developing the local human capital and contributing to the community’s socio-economic growth,” he added, while also requesting welfare support for the committee and reminding management of an outstanding bus pledge.

Traditional leadership reinforced the development impact, with the Paramount Ruler of Oron, Offong Odiong Akan, commending the Academy’s targeted interventions.

“The construction of a modern market in EyoAbasi Community will significantly enhance local commerce, create economic opportunities, and improve the livelihoods of our people,” he said.

He added that the solar-powered borehole would “provide access to clean and safe drinking water,” while solar installations at the palace promote sustainable energy adoption.

At the centre of the engagement was the commissioning of three CSR projects under the Academy’s 2025 appropriation: seven lock-up shops and 19 open stalls in Eyo-Abasi, a 600-litre solar-powered borehole in Udung Okung, and a 10KVA solar installation at the palace of the Paramount Ruler.

Collectively, stakeholders agreed that aligning maritime training, private capital, and community development frameworks remains critical to unlocking Nigeria’s marine and blue economy potential, with the Maritime Academy emerging as a central platform for executing that strategy.

The process of disbursing the long-awaited Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to Nigerian shipowners has commenced, the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Uduak Odudoh, has said.

He credited the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola and the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dayo Moberola, for driving the milestone.

Odudoh made the disclosure during the committee’s oversight visit to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State – a visit that also laid bare the institution’s most ambitious one-year performance record in recent memory under Acting Rector Dr. Kevin Okonna.

“By the grace of God, and the wisdom of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and the effort of the Director-General of NIMASA, the processes of releasing those funds to shipowners in Nigeria has started,” Odudoh told cadets assembled at the parade ground. “In less than no time, those monies will be disbursed. Once they are disbursed, shipowners will now expand — if they were having one ship, they will go to two ships, more vessels.”

The lawmaker, who represents Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, said the fleet expansion triggered by CVFF disbursement would directly benefit MAN graduates, describing the institution as the most efficient maritime training academy in West Africa, recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). “It is our wish that once you finish, like your predecessors who are today onboard vessels, you will also be onboard vessels when you leave,” he told the cadets.

The committee’s visit came against the backdrop of a presentation by Acting Rector Dr. Kevin Okonna, who laid out a sweeping account of the academy’s 2025 performance that drew sustained commendation from lawmakers across party and state lines.

Okonna disclosed that of the 212 cadets who graduated from MAN in November 2025, 80 have since secured employment onboard vessels, a figure that electrified the committee and addressed the academy’s most persistent challenge: post-graduation unemployment. “During those years, the challenges had always been: where would the graduating cadet officers go after graduation? Today, the rector reeled out that about 80, as we speak, have onboard vessel. That gives you hope” Odudoh recalled.

A centerpiece of the academy’s employment drive is a three-year Memorandum of Agreement signed with NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NLMSL), which has already placed 43 cadets aboard NLNG vessels — 13 in December 2024 and a further 30 in late February 2026. Okonna noted that the Nigerian Shipowners Association also provided critical onboarding opportunities during the graduation period, with stakeholders visibly competing to recruit MAN cadets.

“It was during the graduation when I saw how stakeholders scrambled for cadets that it dawned on me that the Maritime Academy under Okonna has indeed made a lot of improvements,” Rep. Paul Ekpo, representing Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom, said. “The graduation ceremony was a very rewarding event — not just taking a child here and at the end of the day they struggle to get a place to work.”

Okonna noted that on March 11, 2026, the eve of the committee’s visit, MAN Oron received certification of its quality management system from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, conforming to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 21001:2025. He described it as a landmark, noting the academy had never held quality management certification since its establishment in 1977.

The rector also announced active partnership negotiations with the Liberia Maritime Authority, driven by MAN’s ambition to attract foreign students and generate additional sea-time opportunities for Nigerian cadets.

“Liberia has the largest fleet of vessels in the world, yet does not have an institution near what we have. We approached Liberia to send their youths to MAN Oron, and in return, our cadets will gain sea-time training advantages aboard Liberian vessels,” Okonna explained.

He said a delegation including members of the academy’s governing council recently visited Monrovia for talks, with officials from the Liberian Maritime Training Institution expressing eagerness to visit the Oron campus.

Other 2025 milestones presented by Okonna included the establishment of the academy’s first-ever staff conditions of service, approved by the Head of Service of the Federation, and the development of a five-year strategic development plan submitted to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The academy, he said, also registered all graduating cadets with at least one international professional body: nautical science cadets with the Nautical Institute, marine engineering cadets with E-Marit, and maritime transport studies cadets with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). An MOU with the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control was also signed, following the academy’s development of a training course for Port State Control Officers in the sub-region.

He said wtudent numbers rose from 180 graduates in 2024 to 221 in 2025, while participation in specialised training courses climbed from 4,595 to 4,959 in the same period. The campus, he said, currently hosts 654 regular cadets across programmes in nautical science, marine engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, and maritime transport and business management.

The visit included an on-the-spot inspection of capital projects funded through the 2025 appropriation, including rehabilitation of the academy’s fire bay and survival pools, construction of a 500-seater auditorium complex, new access and internal roads, and the installation of solar-powered boreholes for the campus and host community.

Engr. Rodney Ambaiowei, the lawmaker representing Southern Ijaw in Rivers State and himself a former beneficiary of MAN’s practical training facilities during his engineering studies, commended the management while flagging budget inadequacies. “It is very appalling to see the meagre sums allocated for trainings for cadets and the even smaller amounts actually released,” he told the committee. “If we want this school to move forward, we have to improve on the budget to fund the institution in order to attract foreign students.”

Ambaiowei also advised the academy’s management to actively lobby National Assembly members to channel constituency capital projects to the institution.

Olufemi Ogunbanwo, representing Ijebu Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North East Federal Constituency in Ogun State, echoed those calls. “I want to commend you on the way and manner you have managed the meagre amount made available to you, and I plead with my colleagues that we should look at ways of bringing projects to support the academy,” he said, pledging the committee’s continued backing.

Mark Esset, representing Uyo/Uruan/Nsit Atai/Asutan/Ibesikpo Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom and a self-described “son of the soil,” gave perhaps the most pointed assessment. Contrasting this visit with a previous oversight that devolved into open conflict between management and staff, Esset declared the transformation remarkable. “Last time we came, there was almost a physical fistfight between the Rector and the staff. Today the reverse is the situation — you have shown capacity, leadership, and the spirit of teamwork.”

He also raised the question of pending litigation between MAN and staff, as well as with the host community, and Okonna confirmed that while cases remain active, many have been resolved and no new ones are being added.

On the corporate social responsibility front, Okonna detailed how the academy constructed a market for the Eyo Abasi host community, installed a solar-powered borehole in response to complaints about river water consumption, restored public electricity supply to the Oron community after an eight-year blackout, and provided solar power to the palace of the Paramount ruler — initiatives Odudoh specifically commended.

Wrapping up the oversight, Odudoh delivered the committee’s verdict unequivocally. “From what the rector briefed us and what we have seen on ground, we are satisfied — satisfied in the areas of infrastructure, satisfied in the area of international partnership. What we noticed is that the rector has consolidated on the performances of his predecessor and improved upon that.”

Asked what MAN should expect from the National Assembly in 2026’s budgetary cycle, Odudoh drew a direct link between accountability and funding. “The most important thing is not approving the budget, the most important thing is accountability. Today, the rector has displayed the level of accountability we expected. Going forward, we will not hesitate giving him subsequent approvals.”

Okonna further noted the institution sits on about 100 hectares of land and remains committed to delivering internationally recognised maritime education and training in line with global standards.

“Our vision is to be internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in maritime education and training, and the support from the National Assembly has been instrumental in helping us maintain and upgrade our facilities,” he said.

In his closing remarks, Okonna urged Nigerians and international stakeholders alike to view the academy as a national asset worth protecting. “You don’t have two or many institutions with the size of this one and these facilities. We have to put hands together to get the benefit from the academy and that’s why we are driving this international partnership with every energy in us to bring international students to benefit because it’s enormous. We have to protect it, promote it, and get the best benefit from this facility,” he said.

• Pledges More Support for Academy

The House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration has commended the Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Dr. Kevin Okonna for his efforts at achieving job placement for graduating cadets, expanding opportunities for sea time experience and improving on the training standards of the academy.

The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Hon Uduak Odudoh, who led the committee on an oversight visit to the academy, said the acting rector has consolidated the achievements of his predecessor and built on them in the last one year.

Odudoh specifically described the instant employment of 80 graduating cadets at the 2025 graduation ceremony as a great development that can ignite hope for parents and future students of the academy.
He also highlighted the increasing number of cadets graduating and those currently undergoing sea time training on vessels as a key achievements that are laudable.

According to the lawmakers, the availability of sea time opportunities has historically been a major challenge for maritime students, and the academy is now addressing this issue to assure parents and prospective cadets of better career pathways.
Odudoh emphasised that accountability, more than budget approvals, remains the committee’s top priority. He commended the acting rector for demonstrating transparency and accountability by presenting detailed records and evidence of proper fund utilisation.

Speaking to reporters shortly after a tour of the academy’s facilities, the Deputy Chairman said “Today, as members of the House Committee on Maritime Safety Education and Administration, we came on an oversight visit. Upon our arrival at the conference hall, the Rector took time to brief us on the judicious utilisation of the 2025 budget approved by the National Assembly, providing us with detailed facts and pictorial evidence.

“Following the briefing, we proceeded on a facility tour and conducted spot assessments of the school’s infrastructure and operations. From our interactions with the Rector and the management team, we are pleased with what we have seen so far. As a committee, we are satisfied with the level of progress recorded.

“We are particularly satisfied with the improvements in infrastructure, as well as the institution’s growing international partnerships with professional bodies and organisations. It is evident that the Rector has consolidated on the achievements of his predecessor and has further improved on them.

“One of the highlights for us was the number of cadets who have graduated and those currently serving onboard vessels. For every parent who brings a child to this institution, the ultimate concern is what happens after graduation. In the past, this has been a major challenge, but from what we have heard and seen, the Rector has made significant strides in addressing this issue.

“Although I was not present during the passing out parade, many of my colleagues were in attendance, including the Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport and the Director General of NIMASA . The feedback from them has also been very positive. “Overall, considering that the Acting Rector has only spent one year in office, we are impressed with the progress made so far. We also discussed some of the challenges he may be facing and areas where the National Assembly could provide support where necessary.

“The message we are taking back is clear: we are satisfied with his performance. We encourage him to sustain the momentum and urge members of the management team and staff to continue supporting him so that the institution can move from its current level to even greater heights.

“It is usually those who have something to hide that become uncomfortable when the National Assembly conducts oversight visits. Our responsibility is to ask questions, identify areas that require improvement, and ensure that public resources are properly utilised. In fact, before coming here today, we already had access to the relevant documents and reports submitted to us.

“From the briefing we received and from what we have seen on ground during this visit, we are satisfied with the progress made so far. Going forward, the committee will continue to support the institution and will not hesitate to grant the necessary approvals when due, provided that the same level of accountability and performance is maintained” he said

Other members of the committee on the tour who commended Okonna were Hon.Ambaiowei Rodney Ebikebina, Hon. Paul Ekpo, Hon. Olufemi Ogunbanwo and Hon. Mark Esset