NMU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Flora Oluwafemi Unveils Landmark One-Year Scorecard

Marking exactly one year since assuming office, the Vice-Chancellor of the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU), Prof. Flora Tobolayefa Oluwafemi, has unveiled a comprehensive one-year scorecard detailing a sweeping wave of academic, digital, and infrastructural transformations across the institution. Faced with lean funding, the university administration aggressively engaged critical stakeholders over the past twelve months to navigate major operational bottlenecks, successfully steering the institution toward global competitiveness in maritime education. According to the scorecard, a copy of which was detailed in the university document “VC New-One Year Scorecard”, the university has restored complete academic stability by strictly adhering to its approved calendar, eliminating lecture disruptions, and expanding its academic footprint through the successful National Universities Commission (NUC) resource verification of its new Faculty of Science and Postgraduate School.

A major highlight of Prof. Oluwafemi’s first year is the aggressive tackling of the university’s historical energy and technological deficits. Operating entirely off the national grid, NMU’s power availability was previously limited to just three hours per day, a crisis the administration resolved by overhauling the power unit and deploying solar interventions to double daily electricity to between six and eight hours. Technological capabilities received a similar boost with the installation of high-speed Starlink satellite internet at the administrative block, the launch of solar-powered CCTV cameras at the Warri jetty to monitor maritime traffic, and the creation of an official Institutional Repository to boost global research visibility. Furthermore, over 700 staff and students were trained on research productivity and artificial intelligence tools, backed by a new subscription to the premium EBSCOHOST database.
The scorecard also emphasizes a deep commitment to student welfare and campus logistics. NMU successfully renovated its student hostels upgrading plumbing, electrical systems, and finishing works while distributing 400 new mattresses and commissioning 500-seater lecture hall furniture. For operational logistics, the management oversaw the complete refurbishment of the official Vice-Chancellor and principal officers’ boats to ensure safe maritime transit, alongside a ₦10 million repair of the university bus. Student excellence was also on display globally, with nine graduates recently enlisted in the Chevron-Stoilic seafarers programme and another nine winning the prestigious NLNG-NSML Scholarship.

These rapid advancements were made possible through fortified partnerships with community leaders, corporate entities, and government bodies. The Tompolo Foundation stepped in to provide campus landscaping equipment and an additional Starlink internet system for the medical unit, while proactive management follow-ups in Abuja successfully secured the release and payment of long-delayed Earned Academic Allowances for university staff. Additionally, strategic alliances are being finalized with the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, for specialized Certificate of Competency training, and high-level talks have been held with the EFCC to strengthen NMU’s petition regarding unremitted 5% Cabotage fees from NIMASA and the NPA. Looking forward, Prof. Oluwafemi expressed deep gratitude to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Mr. Abdullahi Bardi, noting that as the university breaks ground on newly secured TETFund projects for a state-of-the-art ICT and Conference Centre, sustained government backing remains vital to anchoring Nigeria’s blue economy.