Time to kill the Maritime varsity?

Story by Edward Jaleyemi/edwardjaleyemi.blogspot.com.ng

FOR a very long time Niger Deltans had lived in the desert of pains, educationally disadvantaged to a ratio bound to stagger accurate mathematical calculation. This seemingly endless era of desert existence was apparently brought to an end when the Maritime University was established in Okerenkoko of Delta State in Nigeria in 2014.

As a practical demonstration of passion for the rescue of parched souls in the desert, former President Goodluck Jonathan performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the only full-fledged Maritime University in Nigeria in May 10, 2014. This was clearly a bold step towards addressing the educational backwardness of the Niger Deltans, much as it is an avenue to build and develop requisite capacities for the maritime sector of the Nigerian economy.

With the ritual of inspection and the ground-breaking ceremony over, it was hoped that the school would take off and claim responsibility for  training of man-power and capacity-building and put an end to capital flight to Western countries. When the training of maritime cadets, building and development of requisite capacities for the maritime sector is done abroad, large chunk of the nation’s capital journeys to foreign countries. This phenomenon is a threat to economic growth and development of the country.

Located in the core educationally disadvantaged but oil-rich Niger Delta territory of Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Council of Delta State, the Maritime University is positioned to train Nigerians in different areas of the maritime sector who could be equally engaged by other countries as technical hands in project-execution  and thereby attract foreign exchange to Nigeria.

The University  has the capacity to generate employment for the people of the Niger Delta region who have inclination for maritime engagement just as it can equally be a training ground for the Niger Delta Amnesty office. However, with the glaring capacity of the university to engage Niger Deltans as workers in various capacities, we do not need to contest the fact that the  University, will reduce youth restiveness to a manageable level.

And if the monster of youth restiveness, which usually stems from lack of employment, development and failure to build and develop requisite capacities, could be arrested and imprisoned, no agent can retard or obstruct the development of Nigeria. A nation without the challenges of youth restiveness effortlessly sails into the region of globally categorised  ‘developed nations’.

Alas, the glorious maritime university, which has the potential to slake  the educational thirst of Niger Deltan is currently threatened  by an indistinct image that parallels Yeat’s ‘Second Coming’. With the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor, the erection of magnificent structures  and institution of the Governing Council of the university, N2billion had long been provided by NIMASA for the take-off  of the university this September.

The fund for the take-off of the university was made available by Andrew Akpobolokemi, the former director-general of NIMASA. The resources needed for the take-off of the school are available yet the take-off is not taking off. This is enigmatic. Could this non-take-off be an inauspicious signal or could it be a seemingly ominous signal ideated paradoxically to produce more beneficial results as regards the take-off of maritime university Okerenkoko? Or could it be a strategy to humiliate and  exasperate Niger Deltans?

The establishment of the University at Okerenkoko is a recognition of the oil-rich status of the Niger Delta region coupled with a proactive strategy to tackle the challenges associated with the development of the region.

With the 2009 Amnesty programme of ex- President Musa Yar’adua, the hitherto prevalent militant confrontation of the Federal Government and the  oil companies over their glaringly exploitative and neglectful tendencies has been supplanted by meaningful engagement of the exploitative authorities through the progression towards capacity-building and man-power training spearheaded by the Amnesty office coupled with the radiant promise of job-creation through the take-off of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Niger Deltans have been incentivized away from thoughts of restiveness and so must not be reminded of that horrible past.

The opportunities radiant in the University are the hope of Niger Deltans as they are likely to be massively engaged as workers in different capacities. Niger Deltans can only feel a sense of safety and belongingness to Nigeria where injustices – educational or developmental, are promptly addressed when the  University at Okerenkoko takes off this September as programmed.

The hitherto existing cavalier attitude often given to anything that unarguably guarantees the happiness of Niger Deltans must be eradicated in the psyche of the Nigerian Government. President  Muhammadu Buhari has been thrust with the task to confront challenges facing  any part of Nigeria. Among other challenges in the Niger Delta is the puzzling failure of the Maritime University to take off this September as programmed.

We do not want to assume the roles of interpreters over the ‘Second Coming-like’ image behind the non-take-off of the university and attract inebriated bees. The  universityalready has all it needs for  take-off. It is therefore cultured, rational, patriotic that the relevant institutions be empowered by President Buhari for the school to take off this September to joy and pride of Niger Deltans and Nigerians in general. It is high time we stopped the stinging of Niger Deltans by vindictive bees of exploitation, educational backwardness and joblessness.

Are our mineral endowment and network of natural water-ways not enough for us to merit immediate take-off of Maritime University, Okerenkoko?