Vice Chancellor of the university Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, said this when the management of the prestigious institution paid a visit to the NIMASA Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh at the Apapa head office of the organisation.
The Vice Chancellor said the institution would assist NIMASA in sustaining standards by intentionally changing the narrative of maritime education in Nigeria.
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She said UNILAG would embrace partnership with local and international Parties to ensure the institution becomes a formidable force in the maritime space through the development and grooming of the right capacities, driving relevant research, ensuring proper certification, securing exchange opportunities for students for global relevance.
The VC appealed to the NIMASA DG to help in the completion of the UNILAG-IMS building project under construction.
Dr. Bashir Jamoh, the NIMASA said the academia has a major role to play in the development of the Blue Economy in Nigeria.
Jamoh noted that the Agency was committed to the development of the Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS) located in UNILAG and urged the UNILAG management to develop and implement a five year action plan to make the Institute in the university the epicenter of research for the repositioning of the Blue Economy.
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This he said was owing to the vast maritime potentials Nigeria is blessed with.
According to Dr. Jamoh, in the next four to five years, both NIMASA and UNILAG should be able to boast of important research milestones achieved by the Institute of Maritime Studies leading to recommendations and action plans geared towards the development of Nigeria’s Blue Economy.
He said; “Considering the fact that maritime is global by nature, the Institute should also have an international focus with students from other African countries welcomed, in order to broaden the scope of learning and thereby positioning Nigeria as a hub for maritime education as well.”
The NIMASA boss also called for the harmonization of all sixteen Memoranda of Understanding which the Agency has signed with universities in Nigeria, to serve as a guide for the IMS in UNILAG.
The UNILAG-NIMASA Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS) building is one of six projects sited across each geopolitical zone of the country by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide suitable manpower requirements for the contemporary maritime industry, through comprehensive theoretical and practical maritime training.