Stakeholders Decry Delay Implementation Of University Of Maritime Studies Oron

The Oron Stakeholders Forum has raised concerns over the continued non-operational status of the University of Maritime Studies, Oron (UMSO), nearly four years after the institution was established by an Act of the National Assembly and signed into law by President, Muhammadu Buhari on February 16, 2023.

The Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron Akwa Ibom State, is Nigeria’s premier maritime training institution.

The legislation was passed for transition into a full-fledged degree awarding university (University of Maritime Studies, Oron) but has not been implemented despite its crucial role to national development.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, a former commissioner of economic development, Akwa Ibom state, prof. Emmanuel Onwioduokit, along with the Chairman of the forum, Dr. Ukwo Inuikim Obon and the Secretary, Engr Benedict Ukpong, explained that the University of Maritime Studies, Oron is not merely a regional project but a national institution critical to Nigeria’s maritime future.

The group described the prolonged delay in activating the university as unacceptable, warning that Nigeria risks undermining its maritime development ambitions and losing critical opportunities in the blue economy sector.

The stakeholders said despite years of advocacy, legislative processes, stakeholder engagements and eventual presidential assent, the university still exists only “on paper,” with no substantive operational structure in place.

“A university that exists in law must also exist in reality,” the forum declared.

The group traced the institution’s origin to recommendations made in 2008 by the Niger Delta Development Technical Committee, which proposed the upgrade of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron into a full-fledged maritime university.

According to the forum, expectations following the signing of the bill into law included the appointment of principal officers, constitution of governing structures and commencement of academic activities , none of which has materialized.

The stakeholders expressed concern that despite engagements with the National Universities Commission (NUC), consultations with relevant ministries and mobilization efforts by stakeholders, the university remains dormant.

They queried the Federal Government over what they described as an unusually slow implementation process, asking why the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor and other principal officers had not been concluded, and why the Governing Council was yet to be fully constituted.

“This issue goes beyond Oron,” the stakeholders said, noting that the university was conceived as a national centre for maritime excellence, a driver of Nigeria’s blue economy, a hub for maritime research and innovation, and a platform for youth employment and educational advancement.

They warned that every additional delay translates into lost educational opportunities, weakened public confidence and stalled regional economic development.

The group therefore called on the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene by ensuring the immediate operationalization of the institution.

Among their demands were the immediate appointment of a Vice-Chancellor and principal officers, full constitution of the Governing Council, issuance of clear directives to relevant ministries and agencies, publication of a transparent implementation timeline, and an administrative review of all factors responsible for the delay.

“We are not demanding special treatment. We are asking that an existing federal law be fully implemented.”

The forum said it had engaged relevant authorities, including the leadership of the National Assembly, without any positive outcome, hence called on president Bola Tinubu’s administration to work assiduously with stakeholders towards its full implementation in the interest of all Nigerians.

Garry Ochigbo, Edited By Grace Namiji