The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi has assured that work on the permanent site of the Nigerian Maritime University would be completed before the exit of his administration.
Akpobolokemi who was fielding questions from Journalists on Sunday in Lagos stated that the agency had acquired a temporary site for the University to take off even as he said that there were other requirements that were being fulfilled which NIMASA was processing.
He further revealed that the dockyard which the agency was building was at different stages as the sand filing of the site, construction of the dock and other sundry works were ongoing at the site.
According to him,” a University is an ongoing process, even Universities that has been established 20 to 30 years ago, development in terms of physical structures, academics and the rest of them continue to grow on a daily basis or monthly or yearly basis”.
“So, for us, we have acquired a temporary site for the University to take off, there are requirements that are being fulfilled that we are processing and God willing, the university is going to start academic session. In the permanent site, the construction work is ongoing and by the grace of God, we are going to complete this project within the lifetime of this administration”.
“Also, the dockyard is in different stages, there are sand filing aspects of it, there are the construction of the dock and so many other things are going on as we speak. So, it will take time for all of them to be accomplished. It is not as if the day we awarded these projects, all of these things would have materialized, no”.
On wreck removals on the waterways, the NIMASA boss disclosed that the Federal Government had asked the agency to remove those wrecks in the channels noting that the agency had started doing that.
He however opined that they encountered a lot of problems in the course of going to remove the wrecks because of the legal challenges and other matter connected thereto as according to him,” but we have started doing something and God willing, the wrecks are going to be removed”.
On the allegation that a former serving Minister of the Federation had been removed on account of his disagreement with the said Minister, Akpobolokemi said that Ministers had been relieved of their appointments in the past adding that it was a yearly occurrence in the any government that anybody could be relieved of his or her appointment if the appointing authority so desired.
“So, I do not know why you are suggesting that a Minister was removed, that the Minister has arguments with me. I have never come to tell anybody that I have any problem with any Minister. Perhaps, that is the way some persons may interpret it”.
“It is the prerogative of Mr. President to determine who to appoint and how long to keep you and when to relieve you of your appointment. So, I am not in the position to determine that”, he said.
