RE:NIMASA INDEBTEDNESS TO MAN ORON: SENATE COMMITTEE ORDERS DAKUKKU TO PAY MAN ORON, BY ROAM REPORTERS. PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

The Management of  Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) wishes to  swiftly respond to what could best be  described as baseless, preposterous, malignant and unconscionable misrepresentation,  a hurriedly  fabricated news report in the social media authored by one ill-advised intruder who goes by the name of Innocent Orok, masquerading as Roam reporter  .  It is therefore  pertinent  to  authoritatively refute the unfortunate trash by an opportunist lost in the ocean of imaginations, without necessarily promoting his sheer crass.

Although it is not altogether surprising, it is however worrisome that some old heads still find it hard to accept the current changes or feign blindness to the reality that things have changed in today’s Maritime Academy of Nigeria  substantially through the instrumentality of the present focused and purpose-inclined administration led by Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua as well as the concerted efforts of relevant stakeholders.

Apparently, one of the possible reasons some persons are still behaving this way is because they were chronically infected by the old tradition and, as it is often said, old habits are hard to die, especially amongst reprobates.

Otherwise, the signs are clear enough even to passerby to see that this is indeed a new dawn in the over 42 years old institution. It is even instructive to observe that a considerable number in the gang of those who used to take delight in putting the Academy in bad light so as to cause needless distractions have since recoiled into their shells on their own without coercion; leaving only a stubborn few who may have vowed never to change. It is now much clearer that such persons want to learn their lessons the hard way. 
In the said report by Innocent Orok, with a streaming headline “NIMASA Indebtedness to MAN, Oron: Senate Orders Dakukku to Pay Academy”, he stated (he was actually not alleging) with an air of authority that the Senate Committee on Marine Transport has set up a five-man committee from its membership with a mandate to compel the Dr. Peterside-led Management of the Nigerian Maritime  Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to pay the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron its statutory 5% revenue allocation Outstanding

Continuing, the said roamreporter  stated, “ Effedua while reviewing the 2018 budget performance  he put at 65%, spending over N7bilion .What a great manifestation of gutter and food is ready journalism ?.   In his last lines, Orok conjectured that, The scenario has often pitch (sic) the various NIMASA,(sic) DGs at loggerheads with the rectors of the academy”.

However, Management of the Academy in a  meeting, yesterday, rose in contemplative fury and dismissed in totality Innocent Orok’s statements and said there are concoctions from a man on a mission to hell.  The Management stated categorically that the Academy did not attract  the sum of 7 billion Naira  from NIMASA through out last year as falsely reported by innocent Orok.  Management equally debunked the spurious claims that the Academy refunded 60million  Naira to the  Federal Government at anytime in recent times; arguing rather that the Academy received less than N4billion throughout last year and wondered where Orok got the material for his folktale. 

The  Management was curious about why Orok who was not present during the budget briefing embarked on the dangerous cause, deliberately falsifying information to suit his desires.

Apart from drawing attention to the characteristic malapropism and assumptions that littered the whole article, Management maintained that the article must be the richest in lies and insinuations aimed at possibly throwing sand into the seamless and robust relationship and mutual understanding already existing between the Academy, government, Sister Agencies and other stakeholders since inception of office by   the present management has been widely commended for its pragmatic efforts at cleaning up accumulated mess in the Academy. 

Throwing more light of truth on Orok’s falsehood, the Management hinted that the said Innocent Orok however came to the Academy, for whatever reasons of his reservations, sometime ago to find out what NIMASA remitted to them, but as bureaucratese demands, he was promptly referred to the NIMASA for such findings that could have been neither expedient nor necessary at the time. The Management even more strongly argued that the amount of money Orok invented in his infantile presumptions is what the Academy cannot even get in two years.

Again, the Academy wondered why Orok under the guise of Roam Reporters  had the audacity to report an event he was never invited or that he never bothered to secure pre-report interfaces from appropriate quarters. It contended that even if it were an investigative report, Orok should not have relegated professionalism to the level óf quackery and mediocrity that brazenly disregards the principle of such engagement, that may necessarily have had him engaged the Clerk of the Committee, the Rector or a designated Management Staff of the Academy before taking illicit advantage of the social media to vomit on to the world without thinking of the toxic effect of his hazardous presumptuousness. That would have have reflected his intentions to protect both public and institutional interest. 

Hence, Management saw Orok’s action as calumnious and malicious misdemeanour deliberately targeted at misinforming and inciting the gullible against the Academy with the ulterior aim of gratifying his cabal of sponsors. In summation, “We advice him to immediately retract the doomed report, tender unreserved apology to the Academy , force himself to put the record straight by doing  what is professional, or be ready to face imminent legal action that ultimately shall restore him to sanity. This we will do  to forestall a repeat".

On a general note, the Academy Management wished to  notify and seriously warned Innocent Orok and his likes roaming the streets or scavenging for information in the nearest gutter to be wary that the Maritime Academy of Nigeria of today is on an entirely new platform that does not condone any brazenness of criminal dimension by any interloper.

The Management Wishes to stress that Innocent Orok cannot arrogate functions to himself and hide under the cloak of abuse and pretend to be representing the interest of the Academy that never for once deemed him qualified by the least assessment or grading to handle such responsibilities.

These said, it is therefore clear that Innocent Orok’s was principally on a spoil mission dictated for him his . This is said with authority because Orok is neither faceless nor his stock-in-trade alien to the Management. By professional identity, he is known globally as cheap agent of blackmail and unrepentant apostle of media gangsterism who can do anything for anything provided some coins drop into his pocket. With real name and pseudonym, from hideouts no longer hidden, he is known in intelligence quarters to have been concocting series of false reports against Commodore Effedua and the new Academy.

Otherwise, one wonders why it had taken Innocent Orok so long before he came out with report against an event that took place since, yet for the professional he could claim, he could not within the period reached out to those he should to give his findings a token of veracity.

For a fact, since last year, there has been no one to two months that developmental activities centred around the new drive of transformation and repositioning had taken place in the Academy with authentic media outfits in open attendance.

For instance, between January and August 2018, the Academy was a beehive of activities that saw various groups including Members and different House Committees from the National Assembly visit the Academy on facility tour and oversight. Again, on Friday, September 14, 2018, NIMASA DG, Dr. Dakkuku Peterside visited the Academy for the first time based on news of new things he heard were taking place; on Friday, 2nd November, 2018,  the Academy’s gates were open wide for the whole world to witness a Passing -Out -Parade that had been abandoned for more than six years by previous administrations.

Only in this 2019, the Academy hosted for the first time the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on Monday, May 6, 2019, who during the visit commissioned four classroom blocks with offices; sports stadium, ICT Centre, an Auditorium; Simulator Centre and Library Complex and also inspected the on-going construction of survival pool.

 Barely a week following that, precisely Friday, May 10, 2019 an Indian team of Mariners including Capt. Gauran Chhagra, Mr. Manish Pundir and Mr. Ese Marcus Idiegbe visited the Academy as part of our international partnership to improve services in the Academy.

It is surprisingly ridiculous that Innocent Orok never found any  of these activities worthy to be reported, but he recently had the magic to develop wings to fly to Abuja to be part of a Budget Briefing which he must report or lose his life.   

This further proves that Orok’s article was evil-prone to tarnish the warm and symbiotic relationship already existing between the Academy, government and other stakeholders since inception of office by present Management that has been widely commended for its pragmatic efforts at cleaning up accumulated mess.

 Let it be stated that the Academy does not have issues with NIMASA. Innocent Orok’s action is also acting as a calumnious and malicious misdemeanour deliberately targetted at misinforming and inciting the gullible masses against the Academy with the ulterior aim of gratifying his cabal of sponsors.

Management therefore advices him, as a matter of necessity and urgency, to immediately retract the doomed report, tender unreserved apology to the Academy , persuade himself to put the record straight by doing  what is professional, or be ready to face imminent legal actions that ultimately shall restore him to sanity.

It naturally implies that if you have the “courage to do nonsense” you should also be able to show same courage in facing the consequences of your actions. It  is worthy to note that the Academy runs an open door policy where information on any issues could be gotten through proper channels and processes.

Those in Innocent Orok’s class roaming the streets or scavenging for information in the nearest gutter must beware because the present Management neither encourage nor tolerate brazenness of any kind.
Indeed, if names of news sources in the social media suggest the pedigree of its owners and patronisers, then Orok  must have relentless fight with his destiny to have posted his thrash on https//www.roam reporters.com.ng, the Management wondered.

Public Affairs Department
Maritime Academy of Nigeria.