“Promise Kept”-Rector

The Hon. Minister of Transportation, Mu’Azu Jaji Sambo, has ensured that more participants aside selected winners at a recently-concluded Maritime Essay Competition got personal laptops.

The youngsters; seven secondary school students and three primary school pupils, received a laptop each from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, after Sambo called the attention of the chief executives of parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Transportation that it was worthy to encourage the children with study tools such as as laptops.

The Maritime Essay Competition, a joint initiative of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had its theme alongside the 2022 World Maritime Day (WMD) ‘New Technologies for Greener Shipping.’

The Minister with some winners of the essay competition

The organizing committee announced and rewarded selected winners on the 29th of September, when the industry commemorated the globally celebrated day, in Lagos, with the Hon. Minister as Chief Host.

According to the organizing committee of the competition, Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Commodore Duja Effedua (Rtd.), rose to the occasion to donate the laptops to students following the Minister’s concern.

The Minister, moved by the countenance of the children who participated but were not winners and therefore didn’t get laptops, called on Maritime CEOs to empower the school children, irrespective of their performance levels in the essay competition.

Sambo deemed it necessary to encourage the children particularly as the theme of the 2022 World Maritime Day “New Technologies for Greener Shipping” demands the use of technology for improved global shipping.

A member of the organizing Committee quoted Effedua as saying. “Of course, the Hon. Minister immediately saw the need to encourage the children, who had participated in the maritime essay competition. Beyond competition, it was actually wise to encourage the young children; besides giving them the opportunity to have personal laptops as a technology tool, they would also have their interest active in the maritime industry, which is one of the campaigns.

“The children are definitely grateful to the Minister, who took interest in them and made their dreams of owning Laptops materialize and we are glad to be a part of it” the Rector said.