The Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology (FCFMT), Lagos, has warned its newly matriculated students against anti-social behaviour, saying the school would not spare any student that violates its rules.
Speaking while administering the matriculation oath on 740 fresh students for the 2023/2024 academic session, the provost of the college, Dr Onuoha Chuks, underscored the importance of the school in advancing transformation in the newly created ministry of marine and blue economy, particularly in the training of future seafarers, which is currently in high demands in the marine industry.
He attributed the increase in the number of fresh students from 250 to 740, to the collective commitment and quality of education in the college.
While urging the students to be law-abiding, Chuks noted that the institution has zero tolerance for any act of indiscipline.
“I hasten to remind you that anti-social behaviour has no place on this campus. Students engaging in, or planning to engage in cultism, internet fraud, fighting, intimidation, hard drugs, prostitution, indecent dressing, and disobedience to constituted authority shall be shown the way out. Also, we have zero tolerance for any form of examination malpractice,” he cautioned.
Apart from seafarers, Chuks said the college is also producing graduates in fishery.
“Fish production in the country is grossly inadequate, which is why we are using scarce foreign exchange to import frozen fish from other countries that we don’t even know their quality. By the time we produce our fishery scientists here, things would change for good,” he said.
The provost also announced the school’s readiness to collaborate with universities on academic and research, which would lead to the award of degrees in relevant programmes where the institution has capacity in terms of personnel and facilities.
He said: “Discussions are equally ongoing with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to hasten the approval and recognition of professional certificate programmes such as full mandatory programmes, certificate of competency (COC), as well as certificate programmes in resource management, ship handling and manoeuvring, using the newly acquired full mission bridge simulator.
According to him, the issue of graduates travelling out of the country to get their COC at very exorbitant costs will be a thing of the past as soon as NIMASA certifies and accredits the use of the school’s full mission bridge simulator for the programmes.
Chuks also expressed the institution’s commitment to healthy academic competition, noting that the management has instituted a grant for staff and students with cutting-edge research proposals.
Also addressing the fresh students, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Abdullahi, represented by Dr Ekong Edit, urged them to be of good behaviour and take their studies seriously.
He also advised them to embrace entrepreneurial skills, saying the era of seeking white-collar jobs would soon be out of place.
Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo, urged the students to be morally responsible and academically committed to their studies.
President of the college alumni, Ogunsakin Williams, expressed their readiness to collaborate with the institution in attaining enviable heights.
