Highlights Opportunities of the Blue Economy

The Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, has attained new status as a globally recognized and duly certified Maritime Training Institution by the International Maritime Organization, IMO, as one of the top ranking maritime Academies in the world. The Rector of the Academy, Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua,(rtd), in this chanced interview says the journey to the restructuring and repositioning of the Academy has been full of intrigues, very difficult moments and even threats to life of those who wanted a modern Academy for the country. The Rector also speaks on equipment at the Academy, uses, patronage and possibilities of the Blue Economy and how Nigeria could benefit therefrom; excepts:

 How has it been working at MAN? What has the journey been like from when you assumed duty to date, how were you able to turn things around at the Academy?

It is heartwarming that Nigerians are excited by what we have achieved at the Academy but I must say that it has not been as easy as a lot of people would want to think. The Academy we met in 2017 was more of a glorified secondary school than a Maritime Academy. There was chaos, confusion and nothing was working in the Academy back then. We knew that Nigeria was too big for that contraption called a maritime Academy at that time and something needed to be done urgently to pull the school from that brink of collapse on which it was heading. Today, we are one of the best in the world. It has been a very tough journey; at a time people brought coffin to the gate of the Academy with charms and all sorts of concoctions in a bid to have the Academy as their POS/farmland. Ask them what they did in all the years they had it to themselves and they have nothing to show.

So it was a selfish, personal agenda by some group of persons to take possession of the Academy as their personal property, forgetting that it is a national institution established by the Federal Government of Nigeria. We thank all those who have worked with us; those who have stood by us from day one to this day deserve our commendation as well because it has not been a walk in the park in the task of repositioning the Academy for global acceptability.

One of several Swimming Pools at the Academy

The Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, all well-meaning stakeholders deserve accolades. Who would believe years back that foreign students will be at the Academy for training? Just a few days ago, a batch of students from Cameroon completed their training program at the Academy and have graduated! That is the height we have attained in the eyes of the world. Even if some persons feign ignorance of what has been done at the Academy, we are very happy with where we are at the moment.

MAN Cadets in Class at MAN

A lot of grounds has been covered but there is still plenty of work to do to keep the Academy going.

To what extent have maritime professionals and other stakeholders made use of or patronized the equipment that you have at the Academy?

The patronage has been awesome. I must say government investment is being recovered gradually. As it stands now, we are fully booked till June next year. People from within and outside Nigeria are on the queue because they know the quality, the integrity and capabilities of the equipment that we have at the Academy and they are taking full advantage of them; they understand that it is far cheaper to come to the academy than travel outside the country for the same training using the same modules and equipment.

The Rector flanked by Cadets and Lecturers of MAN and NMU

The cost of air ticket, accommodation and other expenses are huge and it is better saved than expended when the training equipment are available here at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria. It is not something that we are bragging about, the information is out there in the international maritime space that these equipment are available at MAN and this is something that we all as Nigerians should be proud of. We are doing our best to run the courses rapidly but professionally to reduce waiting time but in deference to and in  compliance with international standards, there is a limit to how fast you can go; these are not rush in and rush out trainings.

You are quoted to have said that the equipment you have were not purchased for profit purpose but for capacity-building for Nigerians; you have thrown your doors open to other academies to come and use your equipment for their training what is the response like?

I need to correct something here. The intention of the Federal Government in procuring the equipment is to make the Academy a first class maritime training institution and enhance capacity building for Nigerian Cadets, maritime professionals as well as other beneficiaries in between such as international students. There are several professionals and institutions that have come to the Academy for training and the list is a very long one. For instance, the Nigerian Maritime University, NMU, Okerenkoko, a sister maritime training institution, has been here for training on several occasions on different courses and we do short training for them at 50% rebate to encourage them.

What is the Role of MAN in the Blue Economy Movement As Championed by the FG?

Our role as a Maritime Training Institution under the present realities is to recalibrate our trainings, focus on the needs and demands of the moment, prepare our Cadets in line with demands by employers of labour in the maritime, oil and gas/transport sectors of the economy. We have the schools of Marine, Transport and Business studies in the Academy and it is a matter of some adjustments as we launch the Blue Economy in Nigeria.

His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister, Marine and Blue Economy

Going forward in talking about the Blue Economy; first, we need to define the blue economy because of those who do not understand what the Blue Economy entails. For the purposes of clarity, the Blue Economy is the sustainable use of the ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, job creation and also to improve the health of the ecosystem.

I tell you for free that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy will the biggest ministry when it settles down for business because several other professional and experts in other agencies will be absorbed by it. Is it maritime transport, tourism, fisheries, NNPC, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement agency (NESREA) and others? All of them will be part of the Blue Economy under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy; so the Blue Economy is not something that you look at like a normal conventional ministry because different experts from different ministries will become part of it. In the area of culture and tourism/hospitality alone, there is so much to be done. Let us look at beaches in Nigeria as an example. It is on record that millions of visitors visit them annually. Such visitors need accommodation, food, entertainment (music etc) and other services; that is a huge business opportunity on its own for our people.

Waste management, Pollution control, Ballast Water Management are part of the Blue Economy. Plastic wastes and dumping in the oceans is already a global issue. Some years back, there was the case of dead fish in the shores of Bonny. What happened? What killed those fishes? Something must have gone wrong somewhere which is not unconnected with reckless human actions and activities which have negative impact on the marine environment. These are issues within the purview of the Blue Economy which we must not shy away from.

Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua (rtd.), Rector, MAN

It must be said that the Blue Economy itself is not a new thing. During our training days at the Command and Staff College we took courses on Maritime Domain Awareness. And the focus then and even now; is to protect the marine environment to ensure that it is conducive for business. Business for who? Those fishing there legitimately and those conducting offshore operations legitimately because if you don’t protect that environment, those mineral resources will be at risk. Illegal fishing trawlers/foreign poachers could come in and exploit our ocean resources if we are not vigilant.

The Nigerian Navy through its surveys, studies and investigations is very much aware of the mineral resources in Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone, EEZ, which is over two hundred nautical miles from the Coastline into the ocean. The Navy has all the information to guide the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy as he settles down to tap into the abundant resources of the oceans.

cargo ship

So the Blue Economy is all encompassing; if you take maritime transport alone, over 90% of international trade in terms of transportation of goods is done through the oceans. The fact that over 7o% of the earth is covered by water is enough to awaken anyone to realize how much the world relies on and depends on water. Some years ago, Nigeria was blacklisted and we had to be paying war risk insurance on cargo brought by ships to Nigeria, we don’t need to do that anymore because with the Navy and also NIMASA, they have been able to bring us out of that challenge.

Hostel Room room for Two Cadets, maximum.

So, the Academy is a very important part of the Blue Economy because the people who will drive it are here being prepared and equipped for the task ahead. Like I said, it is not a new, unknown aspect of maritime education, the only thing we have to do now is to recalibrate our training and accommodate these new changes which is part of the dynamics of the global maritime industry.

The Blue Economy is very wide and extensive. For instance, if you go to Ijora under bridge in Lagos, you see men and women who are into cold room business. They sell fish and other sea foods but many of them don’t know where the ocean is. The net maker is not necessarily into fishing but the Blue Economy keeps him engaged and employed.

I can go on and on. However, as vast and as diverse as the Blue Economy is, there are those who will prefer to indulge in criminal activities; this means more work for the Navy in terms of patrols, platforms, logistics; the NIMASA Deep Blue Assets will come in handy here and very useful in this direction.

The blue economy is about exploring and exploiting the wealth of the oceans; those who will man the ships from engineering to deck are undergoing training at the Academy; when it comes to the business aspect, we have the school of Maritime Transport, so our role as an institution is very crucial and indispensable.

We at the Academy believe that there is need to sensitive citizens across regions of the country; The Littoral states, the National Assembly, the political class have to come together and create massive awareness on the importance of the Blue Economy for the country and her citizens. This is very important because the multiplier effect of the Blue Economy if properly harnesses will make Nigeria forget about crude oil and dependence on oil resources which the world is moving away from.

So, the Blue Economy is a massive, endless stream of possibilities. If you talk about the engineering aspect, we are preparing the men and women who will build the ships, those who will man the ship, those who will manage and run the ship have been trained at the Academy and we must continue to train for the industry. Like I said earlier, the Blue Economy is very extensive; inasmuch as it will create wealth for citizens and country, there is also the Safety and Security aspect which I think we must pay attention to because commercial activities from offshore supplies to water/air transportation of personnel; those who are criminal in nature will also want to catch in on heightened commercial activities. The need to keep the waters safe can therefore not be overemphasized.

There is another aspect that is of concern to me and that is the emergence of a varied group of blue economy experts. All of a sudden, we are seeing a motley of “experts” on Blue Economy who are printing cards, sharing flyers and moving from place to place canvassing Blue Economy; we must be very careful and wary of such fellows.

Maritime Stakeholders know who is who; we must be careful in engagements when it comes to discussions on the blue economy. Magicians cannot appear overnight and lay claim to professionalism. Where have they been?  Where are they coming from?  These are the questions we must look into as we harness the Blue Economy resources because it is the way to go; Power Generation is embedded in the Blue Economy and there is so much more involved.

Tell us about your Multifunctional Classroom and Ocular Vision Simulators

The Multi-Functional Classroom Simulator

The multifunctional classroom simulator is truly multifunctional. The generic simulator can only handle five students at a go but this modern one which we have can take up to 40 or more Cadets simultaneously. It has the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, GDMSS, Blind Pilotage and many other functions.  We are the only Academy that has it in West Africa. In Africa as a whole, there is one in Egypt and one in Nigeria. In the entire world, there are just about 10 if not less. I was in India with the Permanent Secretary when it came out and we saved towards it and bought it. The functions and possibilities are endless and we are calling on Nigerian professionals to take full advantage of it.

Ferdinand Agu tries the Ocular Vision Simulator at the Academy

The Ocular Vision Simulator takes you into a virtual world where you can walk around the engine room and have a feel of what is there as in real life.

The HUETE Simulator being installed at MAN

The Helicopter Underwater Escape Training equipment (HUET) has been procured but we are still in the process of installation and training of personnel. I am happy we bought it when we did because things have changed drastically; we shall put it to use very soon I can assure on that.