Master Mariners Confers Award on Effedua …Laments State of Industry
The Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) has bestowed on the Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Commodore Duja Effedua (Rtd) it’s Fellowship Awards for Meritorious Service in recognition of his efforts at growing the maritime manpower capacity.
Also recognized is the former Group Managing Director of Comet Shipping Agencies Nigeria Limited, Capt. Pier Carrodona.
This is even as the President of NAMM, Capt. Tajudeen Alao expressed dismay at the what he described as the deplorable state of the industry, due to its potential underperformance.
Speaking on the award, Alao described Effedua as a phenomenal administrator and transformational achiever who places premium on the national effort, including giving due recognition to role models and deserving national officers.
In particular he singled out the MAN Rector for pulling the Academy out of the wood and repositioned it on the part of national pride under an unprecedented record time.
He also described Capt. Pier Carrodona as an immense financial supporter of the association over the years.
Speaking on the Rector, Alao said:
“Effedua named roads, buildings and blocks after Master Mariners without lobbying and it shows his regard for the association and its professionals. Some of our colleagues haven’t been proud to identify themselves as MAN Oron Alumni in the past but under the leadership of Comrade Effedua the story has changed. “The Academy boasts of world best facilities and there has been positive turnaround at the Academy as a result of Effedua’s visionary leadership.”
Responding, Effedua thanked NAMM for the honour, which he said he value still cherish.
In addition he said he holds the association and its members highly for their contributions to the developments at the Academy in recent years.
“I want to thank you for your kind recognition for my modest efforts, it has been worthwhile. I have rejected over a 100 awards but this is history being made, l hold all you dearly and will cherish this award.
On the industry, Ajao said despite the immense potentials of the nation’s maritime sector, the shipping sector he lamented is struggling needlessly under huge neglect.
The NAMM President said that with the right support the maritime sector can be at par with the nation’s crude industry or can even contribute more to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
His words: “We have inland waterways from Lake Chad upto Badagry to Ogoja-Bakassi. We have the coastal waters which is about 600 nautical miles and we have the exclusive economic zone, even as we haveinternational waters.
“As a nation, we should play our part and take a little bite in all these areas. We know that maritime can contribute immensely to this nation, but we are not developing the inland waterways. Just last week Federal Government said it wants to dredge Orasi river – Oguta. This is coming after several decades. What have we been waiting for? Perhaps, this is because the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma has experience in dredging. Imagine the multiplier effect and the potential economic benefits in that axis from the project.
“There are losses due to wasted man-hours in Lagos State in the evacuation of cargoes from the ports. The problems on the port access roads will not be there if we have openings with viable ports in other regions. As Master Mariners, we have a lot to inform the incoming government so that they can harness the opportunities within the maritime space.”
Given a comparative analysis of the industry, he said, “The use of inland waterways, the white people handed it over from Lagos to Baro to Neumann, but we killed it more than 40 years ago.
The inland waterways was used to convey cargoes in the past, but we are not doing that anymore. Security is man made and we can eliminate it and harness the potential of the water.”
Speaking on the proposed Orasi river port in Imo State, hé said: “Orasi river is feasible, when you open up Oguta lakes, there will be so many ancillary industries in that area where ships can go direct and carry the load away from Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt.”
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