Rector of the Certified Institute of Shipping (CIS), Dr. Alex Okuwashi, has asked the federal government to make the certified institute of Shipping (CIS) a university of maritime technology.
While delivering his an address tagged, “The Need to Make CIS University of Maritime Transport Management and Technology, Lagos” at the 14th convocation and matriculation ceremony of the institution in Lagos over the weekend, Okuwuashi described the lack of maritime transport and shipping university in Nigeria as one of the reasons behind the collapse of the Nigeria National Shipping Line (NNSL).
Okuwuashi said that the institute had secured finance, landed assets, leadership and corporate governance platform on which to leverage in building and developing a strategic university of maritime transport management and technology over the next five years.
According to him, “The institute has renewed its corporate purpose, statement of vision, mission, objectives, tactical plans and strategy as well as its goals and corporate values which affects its ambition to be a self sustainable, accessible, effective tertiary/professional education provider that would deliver competitive advantage and benefits to individual professionals in Nigeria and elsewhere.”
The CIS Rector said that the Lacuna in Nigeria spurred the establishment of the institute.
“This Lacuna in Nigeria spurred the establishment of CIS 14 years ago to fill the yawning gap in manpower and infrastructural development created by the absence of shipping curriculum in our tertiary institutions.
“Research has shown the absence of this strategic education for a country like Nigeria which generates chunk of her foreign exchange from abundance of the sea, shipping of oil and other articles of trade,” he said.
He said the absence of maritime agencies at the convocation ceremony showed that government did not attach seriousness to the operations of private maritime institutions in the country.
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