Effedua Reappointed As Maritime Academy Rector For 2nd Term

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a second term of four years for Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua (Rtd), Rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria.

Effedua’s tenure renewal which takes effect from September 2, 2021 was conveyed in a letter formally handed to him yesterday by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

Widely acknowledged as father of modern maritime training in Nigeria, Effedua had within the first four years achieved unprecedented Infrastructure, human capital, curricular and technologically aided training for cadets and students of Nigeria’s premier maritime institution.

One of his administrative masterstrokes is the blocking of fraudulent activities that hitherto happened through contract racketeering and recycling where scarce government resources were paid out for fake contracts.

His prudent management style resulted in about N1.8 billion being saved by blocking wastage and reckless disbursements within one year. He achieved reviving the academy from a state of near collapse dotted with multiple uncompleted and abandoned projects

The survival pool and nautical building projects were examples of contracts that lingered for over a decade before he came to complete them with befitting adjustments at reasonable costs.

His administration prioritised training of academic staff in keeping with the vision of attaining and sustaining international recognition for the academy and succeeded in attracting expatriate lecturers.

In addition to making the academy the number one government owned tertiary institution with smart classrooms, befitting hostels for cadets, the school, under his watch has achieved procurement of state of the art multifunctional classroom simulator, full mission bridge simulator and full mission engine room simulator.

It lately also acquired Helicopter Underwater Equipment Training (HUET) machine to enhance employability of the academy’s cadets in the maritime, oil and ancillary fields.

Confirming the development, Effedua said he is dedicating his reappointment to God and sees it as a further opportunity to serve the country with continuous sincerity and vigour.

He thanked all the staff and other stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime industry who have been contributing to the growth and development of the school and urged them to keep the tempo.

He also advised persons whose stock in trade is to be spreading fake and unfounded reports about the academy and its management to desist from such act and join hands to support the good work in the academy.

According to him, the lawful consequences of defamation, cyber crimes and deliberately fabricating falsehood to destroy people’s image will be visited on perpetrators of such illegal acts. .

The academy, according to him, will not allow itself be distracted by persons who are aggrieved because their fraudulent activities in federal government institution stopped. 

He reiterated that funds for the academy’s development will never be diverted for any other use as the days of sharing government money meant for staff and cadets welfare or Infrastructural development are over.