A professor of economics has challenged the growing opposition to plans to transform the Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron into a fully fledged maritime university, describing concerns about weakened training standards as unfounded and arguing instead that the upgrade represents one of the most consequential investments Nigeria could make in its maritime future and broader economic development.
Professor Emmanuel Onwioduokit, a former Commissioner for Economic Development in Akwa Ibom State, made his position known in a direct response to cautionary remarks by the Chairman of the academy’s Governing Council, Kehinde Akinola, who had warned that converting the institution into a conventional university risked diluting its specialised training focus and undermining its alignment with internationally recognised seafarer certification standards.
Onwioduokit rejected that framing entirely, pointing to evidence from across the global maritime sector to support his argument that academic excellence and professional training are not competing priorities but mutually reinforcing ones when properly structured.
Global Evidence Points the Other Way
At the heart of Onwioduokit’s counterargument is the track record of maritime institutions in countries with advanced and well regarded maritime sectors, where the transition from academy to university has consistently produced stronger institutions rather than weaker ones.
He noted that across the world, maritime universities successfully combine rigorous degree programmes with the kind of hands on, industry standard seafarer training that has historically been the hallmark of institutions like MAN Oron, and that the evidence from those transitions points overwhelmingly toward expanded capacity, stronger global relevance and improved opportunities for both students and researchers.
“Around the world, maritime universities combine academic degrees with rigorous seafarer training without compromising standards. Their transition from academies has consistently expanded their capacity, reputation and global relevance,” he said.
He described the proposed upgrade not as a disruption of what MAN Oron has built over the years but as a natural evolution that builds on existing institutional strengths while aligning the academy with the trajectory of the best maritime institutions in the world.
“Upgrading the academy is an evolution, not a disruption. It builds on existing strengths while aligning with global standards and national aspirations,” he said.
Nigeria’s Maritime Ambitions Demand More
Onwioduokit was direct in his assessment of whether Nigeria’s current institutional framework is adequate to the scale of the country’s maritime ambitions, and his answer was equally direct: it is not.
He argued that Nigeria’s standing as the leading maritime nation in Africa, its strategic interests in the Gulf of Guinea and the rapid growth of its blue economy collectively make the case for a dedicated maritime university not merely desirable but imperative. He said a country of Nigeria’s size and strategic importance cannot afford to pursue maritime sector leadership without a specialised university at the centre of its development agenda.
Beyond its symbolic significance, he said the practical limitations of the academy’s current structure are already constraining growth in ways that a university model would resolve. He noted that the existing framework cannot fully support degree expansion, attract substantial research funding or sustain advanced postgraduate programmes, all of which are essential if Nigeria is to compete seriously in the global maritime knowledge economy.
“The present framework cannot fully support degree expansion, attract major research funding, or sustain advanced postgraduate programmes. A university structure unlocks these opportunities and enables global partnerships,” he said.
Professional Training Will Not Suffer
Addressing what he described as the central anxiety driving the opposition, Onwioduokit was categorical that the transition to a university model would not mean the disappearance or dilution of the professional certification programmes that have defined MAN Oron’s reputation and given its graduates credibility in international maritime labour markets.
He argued the opposite, saying that a university structure would bring better facilities, more advanced simulators, improved laboratories and stronger industry linkages to bear on training programmes that would continue to operate under global standards such as the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
“Professional training will not disappear. Instead, it will be strengthened with better facilities, improved simulators, enhanced laboratories and stronger industry linkages,” he said.
An Economic Investment, Not Just an Academic One
Onwioduokit was keen to reframe the entire conversation around the upgrade, insisting that it should be understood first and foremost as an economic intervention rather than a purely academic reorganisation.
He said the proposed University of Maritime Studies Oron would function as a catalyst for Nigeria’s blue economy, producing skilled professionals across shipping, marine engineering, logistics and maritime security, all sectors that are poised for significant growth and that require the kind of deep, research backed expertise that only a university is institutionally equipped to generate.
He added that the ripple effects of such an institution extend well beyond the maritime sector itself, with downstream benefits for job creation, technological innovation and Nigeria’s positioning as a centre of maritime knowledge production on the African continent.
“This is not just an academic upgrade. It is an economic investment that will create jobs, stimulate innovation and position Nigeria as a maritime knowledge hub in Africa,” he said.
The Other Side of the Argument
Akinola, whose remarks triggered the professor’s response, had urged caution rather than opposition outright, warning that the manner of any transition matters enormously and that the academy’s most valuable assets, its hands on training culture, its industry connections and its global certification credentials, must be protected through any process of institutional change.
He stressed that the academy’s strength lies in its practical orientation and its recognition by international maritime authorities, and called on stakeholders to ensure that any transition preserves those foundations rather than trading them for the prestige of a university title.
Onwioduokit acknowledged those concerns but maintained that they point toward how the transition should be managed rather than whether it should happen at all, and that the creation of the University of Maritime Studies Oron would not only preserve MAN Oron’s existing strengths but extend them in ways that the current structure is simply unable to accommodate.
