AN ANATOMY OF SENATOR STELLA ODUAH’S FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AQUATIC STUDIES BILL

Our indefatigable Senator Stella Oduah, in her characteristic nature of breaking barriers and thinking out of the box, sponsored a Bill on the Establishment of Federal University of Aquatic Services Anambra State. The Bill passed 2^ND Reading on December 5^th, 2018 hence was therefore referred to the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.

This is very unprecedented as it is clear that in the history of Nigeria, no such university has ever been established in any part of Nigeria. It is a bill that was designed out of her passion to emancipate her people whose primary occupation is centered around Aquatic services.

Anambra State is widely encompassed by the Great River Niger and the surrounding adjourning rivers that dictate and stimulate the economic activities in the various communities ranging from fishing, rice farming, crops farming etc.

Right from the age of the colonial masters, the people along the corridor of River Niger  have relied heavily on it for their economic activities and sustenance. Fishing and different activities go on daily in aquatic environment hence the need to maximize the social, economic and environmental benefits of water. This is what makes this University imperative for the people of Anambra State.

Furthermore, there are many aquatic programs and courses that Nigeria lacks trained professionals  due to our lack of attention in this area of study even when most, if not all the coastal areas of Nigeria, Anambra included are surrounded by all types of water ranging from Ocean , Rivers and Stream, hence eke their living from water. The courses that will benefit from the specialization of this university are:

i.                    Limnology(study of lakes, rivers, westlands and underground water

ii.                  Biochemistry

iii.                Acquatic Ecology

iv.                Oceanography

v.                  Marine Biology

vi.                Hydrology

The implication is that Anambra State citizens will be pacesters in this professions as many professionals will be churned out from them, in a country where just very few schools offer these courses even when oil which is the mainstay of our monolithic economy is drilled from the bottom of the water regardless of  offshore/onshore dichotomy.

The school will also begin to prepare Anambra trained professionals from the above areas to take over the jobs that will be created through more discoveries of oil in the state which was just recently recognized officially as oil producing state in Nigeria.

The problems we have had over the years in terms of proper accountability of our oil production is mainly traced to the fact that the major core of the Engineering work is dominated by expatriates who claim they cannot find the right experts with the capacity to do the work effectively locally. This makes our economy vulnerable and creates leakages as these expatriates find it easy to exploit our economy through oil exploration technology which they dominate.

This can only be achievable by developing the right human capital and professionals that will champion the campaign and course of developing water infrastructure especially for areas that are surrounded by water. This underscores the relevance of this Acquatic University, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

Apparently, the Bill will harness the existing innate skills and potentials of the people of Anambra State and other States of Nigeria whose main primary occupation is driven from the water.

It is therefore commendable that our sincere and committed Senator is once again championing this University, the first of its kind in Nigeria to develop the already existing but wasting human capital in Anambra communities.

#IStandWithStellaOduah

#IStandWithAtiku

#AtikuReloaded

#JesusIsTheGreatest

Anayo Ekeanya (MBA, BSc, DAIT) writes from Abuja.

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