A university don, Prof. Emmanuel Onwioduokit, has responded to recent remarks by the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Kehinde Akinola, over the proposed upgrade of the institution into a specialised maritime university, saying the transition is both globally supported and economically beneficial to Nigeria.
Earlier, Akinola had cautioned against converting the academy into a conventional university, adding that such a move could affect its specialised training focus, weaken industry linkages, and affect its alignment with international standards such as the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
Reacting on Friday in Uyo, Onwioduokit said the opposition to the upgrade was based on assumptions rather than verifiable facts, noting that global maritime education standards clearly demonstrate that upgrading academies into universities strengthens rather than weakens training systems.
He said concerns that the upgrade would affect seafarer training are unfounded, noting that leading maritime institutions around the world successfully combine academic degree programmes with rigorous professional training.
He cited the World Maritime University in Sweden, the Korea Maritime and Ocean University, and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, all of which operate hybrid systems, integrating academic degrees with professional cadet and seafarer training without loss of standards as examples.
The professor also said Nigeria, despite being Africa’s largest economy with a vast coastline and strategic presence in the Gulf of Guinea, still lacks sufficient specialised maritime universities, a gap he said is a major institutional weakness in the country’s blue economy development.
The absence of such institutions limits Nigeria’s ability to produce a critical mass of maritime professionals, including marine engineers, naval architects, logistics experts, maritime security specialists, and policy researchers needed to drive the sector.
Addressing concerns on professional certification, he assured that Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) programmes would not be weakened but rather enhanced under a university system, with improved simulators, upgraded facilities, stronger industry linkages, and modernised curricula aligned with global standards.
He added that maritime universities worldwide continue to maintain professional training alongside academic development, ensuring that cadets receive both theoretical and practical expertise at higher levels of competence.
”The Maritime University will serve as a catalyst for national development by producing skilled manpower, driving innovation, creating employment, attracting international partnerships, and positioning Nigeria as a maritime knowledge hub in Africa,: he said.