The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Friday at Kurutie, temporary site of Nigeria Maritime University (NMU), Okerenkoko, Delta State, commissioned and handed over a 60-bed student hostel, with furnishing, and campus-wide Internet infrastructure to the institution, at a ceremony attended by academic and top Management staff and maritime cadets.
A TMS 30 Water Ambulance, complete with life-saving capabilities and medical-grade equipment, which was built in-country, is also to be delivered to the University by the NCDMB within two weeks, as part of a package to enhance student welfare, reliable emergency medical services, operational safety, and digital transformation.
In an address at the event, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Manager, Institutional Strengthening Division, of the Board, Engr. Dokubo Obongo, said the infrastructure projects donated reflect a deliberate investment in the country’s human capital and a commitment to strengthening institutional capacity required to sustain growth of the nation’s maritime, oil and gas, and wider blue economy subsectors.
He explained that the NCDMB derives its mandate from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, which entrusts it with the responsibility of promoting the development of Nigerian capabilities, institutions, and technologies across the oil and gas value chain. The mandate, he pointed out, is in recognition of the fact that sustainable national development is dependent on a highly skilled workforce supported by world-class educational and research facilities.
According to the Executive Secretary, the interventions of the Board extend beyond the boundaries of the University as they bolster in-country capacity “to develop the skilled professionals, researchers, innovators, and technical experts who will drive the future of our maritime industry and support the continued advancement of the oil and gas sector.” The interventions also position Nigeria as a regional centre of excellence for maritime education and research.
He commended the Management of the University, project consultants, contractors, and all other stakeholders whose dedication culminated in the successful delivery of the projects, while urging the University community to safeguard and maintain them responsibly.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor (Mrs.) Flora Tobolayefa Oluwafemi, expressed “immense joy and a profound sense of gratitude” to the NCDMB for the gesture, which she said “marks a monumental leap” in the University’s capacity to accommodate and nurture future leaders of the nation.
According to her, the “vital technological infrastructure and high-speed connectivity is a game changer” for the institution, as “Students and staff can now access top-tier maritime databases instantly and employ modern e-learning tools and virtual simulations essential for maritime training.” “These investments in NMU are a direct investment in the future of Nigeria’s maritime and oil and gas sectors,” she added.
She said the partnership the institution enjoys from the NCDMB, Delta State Government and host communities has kept NMU “afloat and thriving.”
In a vote of thanks, the Registrar of the University, Dr. Paul Bebenamibo, commended the NCDMB for considering NMU deserving of such assistance in promoting learning and student welfare. He promised that staff and students would utilise the facilities to achieve the objectives that informed their donation.
On the NCDMB team were Engr. Dokubo Obongo, Manager, Institutional Strengthening; Mr. Desmond Okiemute, Senior Supervisor, Capacity Building Directorate; Mr. Malcolm Igbani, Officer, Internal Audit, and Mr. Prince Foncha, Officer, Corporate Communications Division.
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