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.

….Culled from Reuters

Oil prices could extend gains today as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran entered a third week, putting oil infrastructure at risk and keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut in the world’s largest supply disruption. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub, drawing a defiant response of further retaliation from Tehran.
Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures have already spiked sharply and ⁠rattled global financial markets. Both contracts have surged more than 40 per cent so far this month to their highest levels since 2022 after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran prompted Tehran to halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – a key chokepoint for a fifth of global oil supply.
Trump has urged China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others to deploy warships to secure the strategic gateway.
The United States struck military targets on Kharg Island on Saturday, which was swiftly followed by Iranian drone attacks on a key oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates.
“This marks an escalation in the conflict,” JP Morgan analysts led by Natasha Kaneva said.
“Until now, the region’s oil infrastructure has largely been spared.”
Besides UAE’s ⁠Fujairah, Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura export terminal and Abqaiq oil processing facilities have been listed as critical and highly vulnerable energy nodes in the Gulf, the analysts said.
However, oil loading operations at Fujairah have resumed, a Fujairah-based industry source told Reuters yesterday.
Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, is the outlet for about one million barrels per day of the UAE’s flagship ⁠Murban crude oil – a volume equal to about one per cent of world demand.
Global oil supply is expected to fall by eight million bpd in March due to disruptions to shipping while Middle Eastern producers have cut output by at least 10 million bpd, ⁠according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Last week, the IEA agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from strategic stockpiles held by member nations to combat price spikes. Japan plans to start releasing its oil today.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations, according to three sources familiar with the efforts, while Iran has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until U.S. and Israeli strikes end, dimming hopes of a quick end to the conflict.

The Republic of Togo has expressed interest in increasing the volume of electricity it currently purchases from Nigeria through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), as part of efforts to meet growing power demand and extend reliable electricity supply to newly connected customers across the country.
The request was made during a strategic meeting between the management of NDPHC and a delegation from the Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (C.E.E.T), the national electricity utility of the Republic of Togo.
The delegation was led by the Director-General of the organisation, Débo- K’mba BARANDAO, who paid a visit to NDPHC’s management to strengthen existing collaboration and explore opportunities for expanding cross-border electricity trade.
C.E.E.T, which is headquartered in Lomé, currently purchases about 75 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity from NDPHC on a bilateral basis, a supply arrangement that has helped the West African country maintain stable electricity delivery and support economic activities.
The imported electricity contributes to sustaining quality, reliable and affordable power supply for households, businesses and public institutions in Togo.
The Director-General of C.E.E.T commended NDPHC for the consistency of its electricity supply and the role the partnership has played in improving power reliability within Togo’s electricity network.
He noted that the collaboration has been beneficial to both organisations and has strengthened regional energy cooperation in West Africa.
According to him, the utility company is currently experiencing increasing electricity demand following the onboarding of new customers, including industrial and commercial users, as well as ongoing efforts by the Togolese government to expand access to electricity across the country.
In view of this development, C.E.E.T expressed strong interest in increasing the volume of electricity it off-takes from NDPHC, noting that additional supply would support the country’s power expansion strategy and ensure that newly connected consumers receive stable electricity.
The delegation also highlighted that strengthening energy trade with Nigeria remains an important component of Togo’s broader strategy to secure diversified and dependable power sources for its national grid.
Responding, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Jennifer Adighije, an engineer, reaffirmed the company’s readiness to deepen collaboration with C.E.E.T and continue supporting electricity exports to neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region.
She explained that NDPHC, which operates several power plants across Nigeria under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), has the capacity to support regional electricity supply and remains committed to promoting energy integration across West Africa.
The NDPHC boss noted that the partnership with C.E.E.T aligns with broader regional efforts aimed at strengthening electricity trade among member countries of the Economic Community of West African States and improving power availability across the sub-region.
While expressing willingness to increase electricity exports to Togo, she emphasised the need for bankable and sustainable commercial arrangements to guide future transactions between the two organisations.
According to her, establishing credible financial guarantees and structured payment mechanisms would help mitigate exposure to payment risks often associated with cross-border electricity supply, thereby ensuring the long-term sustainability of the partnership.
She stressed that a reliable payment framework would not only protect NDPHC’s commercial interests but also enable the company to continue supporting regional energy stability through power exports.
Both parties described the meeting as productive and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the electricity sector. They also agreed to continue engagements aimed at developing workable frameworks that would support increased power supply from Nigeria to Togo.
Industry observers say the move reflects growing efforts by West African countries to deepen regional electricity trade and maximise existing generation capacity within the region to address persistent power shortages.
If implemented, the proposed increase in electricity offtake by C.E.E.T is expected to further strengthen energy cooperation between Nigeria and Togo while contributing to improved electricity access and economic development in the region.