Apparently dissatisfied with the level of development at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron especially with the huge amount of money given to the academy over the last three years, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Ameachi and the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have concluded plans to visit the academy.
This visit was against the backdrop of series of financial allegations leveled against the Rector of the academy, Joshua Okpo.
The Rector was accused of mismanaging over N13bn given to the academy over the past three years.
Okpo was also accused of spending over N10 million to organize Christmas jamboree last year immediately NIMASA released over N700m to the academy last year as part of the agency’s statutory quarterly allocation to the academy.
Aside this, sources from the academy also revealed that the academy’s Rector is always on a spending spree whenever the academy gets money from NIMASA.
The source revealed that the academy’s Rector also favour some contractors when it comes to payment.
“When he has finished the money from NIMASA, he will start running to NIMASA for allocation, even the short courses that the academy is expected to make money from, nobody is asking them what they are doing with the money. He equally established centres in Calabar and Port Harcourt where so much money is spent to run the centers yet no money is being made from them. We are wasting government money in this academy”, the source revealed.
However, concerned about this alleged financial recklessness, the Minister of transport and management of NIMASA would visit the academy anytime soon.
Confirming this to Nigerian NewsDirect, the Deputy Director, Public Relation of NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka said the Minister and the management of NIMASA have concluded plans to start an oversight on MAN Oron.
“The Senate and House of Representative are having oversight over MAN Oron the way they have over NIMASA but with what is coming up now, it appears that obviously NIMASA need to get it acts together and oversight MAN Oron pari persu the amount of fund they have collected
from the agency”.
She however disclosed that the Minister would visit the academy to see things himself before the next line of action is known.
“The Minister himself will go to Oron with NIMASA management, they will be visiting the academy, so let us wait for the outcome of the meeting,” she told our correspondent on phone.
Effort to get the response of the Rector on the financial status of the academy proved abortive as calls and text messages sent to his phone were not replied.
When contacted on the status of the finances of the academy, the Bursar of the academy Folorunsho Kayode said it was only the Rector that could give the financial status.
He said, “As I am presently, I just finish the marriage of my younger brother in the village and am tired. Also, am an employee to the institution and it is only the Rector that can talk on it.”
But, the Public Relation officer of the Academy, Sidi Mpadiok said accusation of financial recklessness against the Rector did not start today.
According to her, the Rector had been accused of series of financial recklessness by people he described as disgruntled elements.
“Well I can’t answer for that, I can’t answer for the financial status of the academy. NIMASA and the Rector are the ones that can say thing about the finances of the academy. Financial recklessness is nothing new and they had been addressed. Agitator have nothing new to say,
most of them are disgruntled and until we get the detail there is nothing I can say”.
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