Maritime Academy rector alleges over 80% of institute’s funding looted by staff, cabal

The Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron in Akwa Ibom State, Commodore Duja Effedua (retd), on Wednesday, said the institution was in a state of comatose for 39 years, as over 80 per cent of its funding was looted by its staff and an external cabal in Abuja.

The rector, who disclosed this during a facility tour of the school in Oron, said over 6,000 petitions have been written against him since he assumed office in 2017, however, he said he wasn’t distracted.

Effedua said he did not come to the institution to fight anyone but to reposition the Academy, which was on the verge of being shut down by the International Maritime Organisation.

He noted that though he was not given extra funding for his activities in the institution, he has been able to save a huge sum of money by blocking the leakages.

His words, “We have been able to block operational and financial loopholes, all achievements you have seen so far, the simulators, billions of naira have been sunk and no extra money was given to the institution by the government. We did not acquire loans to execute them but we were able to get the money through blocked leakages.

“You have seen what I have done with my team, we have done significant things in significant times. When we came, the Academy was in a near-collapse. We are here to add value, not to steal money.

READ ALSO: Gunmen abduct five members of maritime union, three others in Rivers

“I didn’t get extra funding to do what you have seen here. The corrupt people, the staff from within, and those from the outside are cabals, who had benefited from the academy and milked the academy dry.

“I am here to reposition the Academy and the International Maritime Organisation was on the verge of shutting down this institution and if they had done this, imagine the rate of unemployment.

“80% of the funds sent by the federal government was always looted by the staff and the resident cabal within the environment and some of them in Abuja, that is why there was no progress in 39 years.

“The magic you saw is a job of three years plus. Now we are the best in Africa in terms of equipment and we are struggling to be the best in the world. We have trained our men to handle our equipment.”

Also, he decried the poor work attitude among the staff, noting that most of them were unprofessional and adds are adding no value to the Academy.

“When I came here, I met somebody who read forestry, what was he doing here? we also met some with fake certificates, some did not do NYSC before they got the job. Some had a poor attitude to work. Our biggest challenge is the sins of the past, lots of court cases,” Effedua added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now