Cadets In Ecstatic Jubilation Over Opportunities and Higher Expectations

For the management, staff and Cadets of the Maritime Academy Of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, the election victory by Nigeria as a category C Council member of the International Maritime Organization, IMO, the celebration dance reverberated through the serene campus of the Academy.

Dr. Kevin Okonna during his presentation on the Academy to the IMO Scribe

For the Ag Rector Dr. Kevin Okonna, the 2025 interaction by Cadets of the Academy with the Secretary General of the IMO,  Arsenio Dominguez, which some stakeholders believe heralded the  Category C victory; not forgetting the classic performance by MAN’s Cadets during its very recent 2025 Passing Out Parade, POP, the acting Rector must be a very happy man!

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON (third left); Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Domínguez (third right) with other officials and cadets of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, during the IMO Secretary-General’s visit to Nigeria.

Indeed, no man could be happier with the Category C victory.  Coming on the heels of his cadets superlative performance at the World Maritime Day, WMD, 2025, the engagement by Cadets of the Academy with the IMO Scribe-the first of such engagements in the history of the Academy and the exhilarating 2025 POP of the Academy, management and staff of the Academy must be operating at a level beyond Civil Service characteristic norms.

The IMO Council is where regulatory decisions which govern the world’s maritime and shipping rules and regulations are formulated.

To be at the Council is to have a voice to speak to issues and the presence to influence decisions affecting the universe when it comes to shipping and all that pertains thereto.

Understandably and as it is established, the  Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for seafarers, STCW, is an international convention that sets minimum standards for the training and certification of seafarers to ensure Safety of lives at Sea (SOLAS).

If there is any institution saddled with its implementation and enforcement in Nigeria, it is the Maritime Academy of Nigeria.

Few weeks to the IMO Council election, the Academy hosted a team of Independent Evaluators from the IMO for audit and Evaluation of Nigeria’s compliance with the Provisions of the STCW, 1978 (as amended).

According to Dr. Okonna, “A cornerstone of our strategy has been an unyielding focus on quality assurance and the provision of world-class training and certification. I am delighted to share that the Academy has completed Stage One of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) quality audit and we are preparing diligently for Stage two as we move toward certification of our standards in line with ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO 21001:2025 (Educational Organizational Management System (EOMS)”, the Ag Rector told dignitaries during its recent graduation of 221 Cadets of the Academy; many of them were employed on the spot by excited ship owners and maritime labour employers.

Therefore, the pivotal role of the Academy in the implementation of the STCW, the equipment acquired, the collaboration across continents, the consultations with local and international agencies, the extensive consultations, the numerous accreditations obtained and vote of confidence passed by local and foreign regulatory agencies went a long way in securing countries  confidence and the eventual Council seat for Nigeria; this can neither be overlooked nor under estimated.

Unquestionably, the Academy as a globally certified Maritime Training Institution, MTI, is constantly under the Radar of the IMO.

As the custodian, enabler, enforcer and implementing institute in Nigeria, the Academy has been credited for its strides and efforts in implementation and enforcement of provisions of the STCW and other IMO Conventions which Nigeria has assented to.

The Category C victory comes with additional challenges which the Academy must face with the same seriousness and astute professionalism which has earned the Academy international acceptability and acclaim.

Dr. Kevin Okonna, AG Rector, MAN

The Federal Government through the Ministry of the Marine and Blue Economy should ensure that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, works even closer with the Academy in the overall  interest of Nigeria.