Maritime Academy Of Frustration ,Fraud and Oppression

Maritime Academy Of Frustration ,Fraud and Oppression             

The story of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron in recent times has been a tale   of woes, uncertainties and that of mixed feelings.

The whole confusion started when the minister of transport  wrongfully appointed his in law  as  a rector to run the affairs of the academy at the same time set up an interim management committee to also run the same institution, meaning two illegal Captains  in one Ship, Unfortunately the two appointments are being challenged in court on the ground of illegality by Oron people, while they are challenging the appointment of the rector for lack of due process in line with the law establishing Academy, which stipulates that appointment to the office of the rector must be advertised on national daily for a given period and those seeking for the office will apply for the job to the ministry of transport, while the ministry appoints the best candidate for the job base on performance during the interview.

It is also true that the ministry of transport has contravened the acts that established the Maritime Academy by appointing the illegal interim management committee(IMC) to run the affairs of the academy for six (6) months.

This decision has attracted serious condemnation from members of the society including the house of Representative   committee on marine transportation that visited the Academy in their over sight function, the House committee members condemned the illegal act of the minister of transportation in it entirety and directed the immediate dissolution of the committee and the reinstatement of the suspended workers.

With the appointment of the committee and that of the rector, there was a wide spread belief that the minister foisted the committee against the relevant laws and also appointed the stubborn rector to punish Oron/Akwa Ibom people, which the Minister considered to have willed undue influence in the Academy.

The latest  wicked action of the committee and the stubborn rector is the refusal to pay individual contractors who performed creditably well in their job in the Academy and the illegal suspension and compulsory retirement of some senior staff whom they considered could hinder their chances of evil manipulation in the Academy.

It is on record that the rector only paid contractors which he has vested interest to the detriment of other contractors who have done quality jobs to completion. The Rector is said to have challenged the oro people to do their worst that he was fully prepared and fortified physically and spiritually to face Oro People and that he is on a revenge mission to the Academy in what he said Oro people have done to several rectors, and that those contractors and staff from Akwa Ibom extraction should go to hell, saying that heaven will not fall.

A competent source close to the Academy who spoke on ground of anonymity said all efforts to pressurize the defiant rector to pay the contractors who have performed well proved abortive.

The Man has vowed to bring his hard posture and tactic as a trained military man to bear in his determination to deal with Oron People in particular and Akwa Ibom Ibomites in general. Another source also revealed that his mission in the Academy is to avenge what Oro people perpetrated against the past Rectors, by sacking many Akwa Ibom indigenes and ensuring that all contractors of Akwa Ibom State origin are not paid a dime, irrespective of the level of performance.

This nefarious act is said to have infuriated some indigenous contractor and staff who may be strategizing to take appropriate step to secure their jobs and ensure payment of their money.     

Some aggrieved youths and community leaders said they are aware of how much both illegal the interim management committee and the wrongfully appointed Rector have squandered in Hotels and other frivolous running cost of the Academy, which they are claiming to have the mandate of Mr. President through the minister of Transportation to purge the institution from corrupt practices, and declared that he who goes to equity must do so with clean hands and that when the chips are down, they will lay everything at the public domain with facts are figures.

He the self acclaimed rector is boasting to have settled the host Communities, which  are Eyo Abasi and Idua People with fifteen million naira only, as being  mandated as divide and rule strategy designed by Rotomi Amaechi to destabilse and punish Oro People and this to him has yielded positive result. Amaechi is said to have been very angry with Oro people for taking the Federal Government to court for appointing his preferred and anointed candidate , Nsima Ekere as the Managing Director of NDDC against Oro interest ,he has vow to crush Oro people in any matter under purview as the Minister of Transport , but he is expecting our vote to make his man , Nsima Ekere as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Muhamadu Buhari as the president of this country.

The question that is begging for  answer from both Rotimi Amaechi and his new Bride Tyrant ruler of the Academy  Commander Duja Effedua is that , if he Amaechi used his power in APC to conquer Oro people to install his anointed candidate ,Obong Nsima Ekere as the Managing Director of NDDC and also snatched the only Commissioner of NDDC which was occupied by an Oro man ,Etim Inyang Jnr , leaving Oro people with nothing , why is he extending his aggression from his brother ,Governor Nyesom Wike through NDDC appointment to crushing poor and innocent Oro people in Maritime Academy of Nigeria ,Oron.   

Another competent source said that this is how they are discrediting the president Muhamedu Buharis Government by oppressing and intimidating innocent and poor Nigerians and trying to remove the moth in someone’s eyes without removing the plank from their eyes in the name of fighting corruption.

We are aware of the suspension of some senior staff without due process and without any genuine reason. They have also suspended cadets  Admission for two years without any good reason and this has affected the indigenous cadet or students who are supposed to be admitted in the institution, having lost hope of admission in other institution, relying so much in the institution as their sure bet as a laid down procedure else where ,they are said to have acted the script of their pay masters, without minding the implication of such action on innocent Nigerians who are facing the evil recession and hardship of this administration. This is like jumping from frying pan to fire.

Some of the contractors who raised loan from private sources with high interest rate to fund the projects are wallowing in pains, having been assured by the immediate past   administration of Mr Mkpandiok to return to site and do the needful that they will be paid according to their performance and the recommendation by the works department. Actually, some contractors who performed well in line with the instruction of the management were paid accordingly.

While some  who returned to site and completed their projects have not been paid by the tyrant Ruler of the Academy. How can they just came into the Academy and stop all ongoing projects that are done according to specification with borrowed funds raised from private sources, and also stop payment to all the contractors handling the jobs without recourse to quality performance and due process?

It is sad to note that some of these contractors sold their personal properties, while some of them had to raise funds from private sources to finance these projects, having been frustrated with First Bank loan earlier secured to execute some projects still in the Academy by previous administration.

By the action of these successive Rectors they have turn the Academy to death traps and lion dens for innocent contractors. One of our angry sources who lamented  exclaimed, “why should the Rector and the interim management committee turn the Maritime Academy to the lion’s den ?, why should the play politics with peoples hard earned money ?, why should they change somebody who was paying contractors as at when due and according to your performance with recommendation of the works department with bunch of wicked people who are out to destroy the fabrics of the society and innocent Nigerians ?, why are they doing selective payment to sooth their whims and caprices ?, why can’t the Rector invite everybody to site by himself with the works department to assess the levels of work by himself and pay people according to their performance?

The source also noted that there is enough money in the system to pay all performing contractors, and wondered why the Rector preferred to return the money to the treasury instead of paying genuine contractors, yet they are campaigning for people’s vote in 2019 with pains in the heart of the people. He vowed to continue to inform Nigerians of this wicked act through all available means of communication, adding that ‘A stich in time saves nine’.

What a wickedness in high place ?

What a wicked generation ?

What a selfish government brought by the   devil to punish innocent Nigerian ?.

Meanwhile, there are claims and counter claims between the illegal interim management committee and the wrongfully appointed Rector as to who causes the refusal to pay the contractors and who mastermind the oppression of the contractors and the victimization of workers in the Academy.

Another source in the Academy said that there is confusion in the Academy as to who does what, why and when between the IMC and the Rector.

There is conflict of duties between the IMC and the Rector as to who is the boss. While our source claimed that the Rector does not want to accept recommendation from the works department, another source is asking why is Out Ita Toyo, who was drafted into the committee to pacify Oro people interest during the anti Effedua protest not helping the situation? , it is true that Out Ita Toyo was brought into the committee when Oro youth protested against the none inclusion of Oro man in the committee. The source stated that he rather was gunning for the sacking of Oro workers and selective payment of contractors not minding your level of performance.

The question is , is the rector looking for peace or war ?,time will tell.