80 Cadets Get Instant Jobs, Sea-Time Placement As 221 Graduares from Maritime Academy
... Ag Rector Okonna Announces Planned MoU With NSML, Ghana's Regional Maritime University
Over 80 graduating cadets who recently bagged Higher National Diploma (HND)and National Diploma (ND) from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron in Akwa Ibom State, got instant job offers and sea time training opportunities on Thursday November 13, 2025 at the Academy’s graduation ceremony .
Mr Sonny Eja,President of the Shipowners Association of Nigeria(SOAN) announced a total of 55 sea time training opportunities for the cadets drawn across various disciplines and levels. According to Eja, 50 of the training slots were offered by the SOAN while five others were engaged by Petromarine Nigeria Ltd,
At the ceremony,Greg Ogbeifun, CEO of Starzs Shipyard announced instant employments for four outstanding graduates with cash rewards of ₦1m each while Aminu Umar , CEO of Sea Transport Services Nigeria Limited also offered jobs and cash gifts of ₦250,000 to eight outstanding cadets
Umar who was represented by Musa Ado Ibn-Saidu, the company’s head of Corporate Services reiterated their commitment to promoting maritime manpower development in Nigeria.
Other organisations that supported the graduating cadets were Arion Energy Services Limited, Bricks Ltd and the Alumni Association of Maritime Academy Oron (AMANO).
Acting Rector, Dr Kevin Okonna who commended members of the nation’s maritime community for their usual support also restated his leadership thrust of confidence building through quality training and promotion of staff welfare
Okonna announced that for the first time in the history of the Academy, approval for the Staff Conditions of Service has successfully been completed and obtained from the Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), signifying a major milestone towards the Academy’s effort to attract and retain rare and skilled professionals .
Dr. Kevin Okonna, while delivering his welcome address at the 2025 Cadet’ Graduation Ceremony on 13th November, 2025 , disclosed that over the past year the institution has ensured operational steadiness in the face of several activities of detractors, strengthened governance and ensured that core training activities run consistently and professionally so that teaching and learning continues to flourish in line with the provisions of international standards..
According to him, a cornerstone of MAN’s strategy has been an unyielding focus on quality assurance and the provision of world-class training and certification. He said that the Academy has completed Stage One of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) quality audit and is preparing diligently for Stage Two as it moves toward certification of its standards in line with ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO 21001:2025 (Educational Organizational Management System (EOMS)).
While highlighting the Command’s achievements in the past one year, he said the Academy has restored reasonably steady public power supply to the Academy and the Oron community after over eight years, all the cadets and students hostel solar power facilities have been rehabilitated and insstalled for 24 hours power supply and all the cadets have been registered with at least one international professional association, including the Nautical Institute, UK, IMarEST, UK and CILT Nigeria.
According to Okonna, the Nautical Institute has established the Nautical Institute Prize for the Best Graduating cadet in HND Nautical Science, including award certificate and money in British Pounds for Nautical Science publications of the winners choice.
In addition , he stated that the Academy has a Memorandum of Agreement with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria, for student and associate member categories and further capacity building of all our cadets in the School of Maritime Transport Studies (SMTS).
The Academy is working very hard to provide the STCW Convention-required onboard training opportunities for seafaring cadets of the Academy.
The Rector stated that the Academy is working very hard to strengthen its partnership with the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML) for the provision of onboard ship training for cadets of the Academy as well as many other services that will lead to greater international opportunities for the cadets in the Academy. He expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola for his leadership.
He informed that the Academy is at advanced stage of establishing a robust partnership with the Regional Maritime University (RMU), Ghana for collaboration in a broad area of common interest for the development of MET & extend to Certification in collaboration with it’s Administrations.
The graduation of 221 cadets, according to him, is fit for purpose, and ready for their excellent contributions to the Marine and Blue Economy sector.
“I am equally delighted to inform you that, in line with the statutory mandate of the Academy, between Monday 10th and Tuesday, 11th November, 2025, we hosted the a team of Independent Evaluators from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the Academy for Independent Evaluation of Nigeria’s compliance with the Provisions of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 (as amended).
“Some seatime offers are going to be announced by frontline ship-owning partners ,including Starzs Investment Limited, Sea Transport Services Nigeria Ltd, and Arion Energy Services Ltd. The Academy has signed an MOU with Abuja MoU on Port State Control in West and Central Africa for provision of PSCOs course in the Academy. The Course has been approved by NIMASA and the instructors have been provided further training abroad and the Academy is ready to commence the training.
“The graduating class embodies the Academy’s standards of discipline, technical competence, and professionalism. All the graduands have successfully met the Academy’s academic and practical requirements and are now qualified to progress in their careers to seafarers certification and employment as well as maritime professionals in the global maritime industry. I recommend them to you, stake holders, for employment and mentorship in the interest of the future of our treasured marine and blue economy.”, he said.
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