The Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (AMANO) has commended the academy’s efforts to enhance its profile and technical capacity with more stimulators, better remuneration for staff, and its plans to build a modern marine exhibition center.
Members of the alumni gave the commendation when they paid a working visit to the institution.
Speaking during the visit, the Rector of MAN Oron, Comr. Duja Efedua (rtd), said the academy now has three major simulators, which is one of the latest in the world, noting:“they are Multifunctional Classroom Simulation system, Full Mission Bridge Simulation and Full Mission Engine room Simulation.”
The rector who also received an award of excellence from the academy’s Alumni Body commended AMANO led by its President, Mr. Emmanuel Maiguwa for their continuous support the institution and the entire maritime sector.
He also assured that his leadership had a goal to restore the Academy to its proper place as a world-class maritime training institution.
Effedua also expressed delight that most of the problems that bedeviled the institution in the past had been addressed, including the challenges of overcrowding of cadets in hostels and classrooms with a hostel room accommodating up to 18 cadets per room in the past, poor medical facility and poor transportation system.
According to him, the Academy was able to carry out an upward review of salaries, especially for contracted instructors with special skills, to be able to attract and keep quality personnel with regular training.
Noting that the academy was expecting two Master Mariners to join, the MAN Oron rector said this transformation has resulted in the employment of over 100 members of the host community, and assured that more would be employed as things progress.
He also mentioned that the institution is now ready to start pursuing international certification and as a means to propagate the shipping profession to those who come on an excursion to the school, the Academy is working on a marine exhibition centre.
The rector went further to opine that one of the reasons for the recorded failures in Certificate of Competency (CoC) is attributed to participants’ inability to attend classes as most of them tried to juggle between retaining their jobs on a ship and attending the CoC classes.
He, however, informed AMANO that the Academy had sent about 15 members of staff to India for training that will close most of the gaps limiting the Academy.
The Rector also seized the opportunity to introduce the newly introduced Security Certificates that addressed the issue of counterfeits, adding that the certificate could also be verified online.
