With an initial take off grant of N1billion naira, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is set to establish an Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.
NIMASA Director- General, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, disclosed this when members of the Unilag’s Committee for Sourcing of Financial Assistance from Public and Private Organisations led by its Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Hussaini, paid him a courtesy visit.
According to Akpobolokemi :“The University of Lagos was selected as a beneficiary of one of these institutes for obvious reasons. It is located in the commercial nerve centre of the country. It is also situated in a coastal state and has had a long and impressive history in the development of human capacity in Nigeria. We have therefore decided to partner the University of Lagos to further develop manpower especially in the maritime sector”.

The NIMASA boss noted that the partnership was part of the transformation agenda of the present administration to reposition the maritime sector and make it a hub in Africa.
He informed the committee that allocation has been made in the 2012 budget to cater for the establishment of the institute and that NIMASA would soon liaise with the university to work out modalities for the take-off.
Thanking the members of the committee for their visit, Akpobolokemi stressed that NIMASA will continue to partner UNILAG in the area of human capacity building which is a key component of the Agency’s four point agenda.

Earlier in his address, Hussaini said that UNILAG was desirous of partnering with NIMASA for the provision of a maritime vocational centre, a modern jetty and five ferry boats, among other demands.
http://www.shipsandports.com.ng/news.php?id=253
http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/284-breaking-news/36797--nimasa-to-establish-n1bn-maritime-institute-in-unilag-
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/maritime/44971-nimasa-to-extablish-maritime-institute-in-unilag.html
Hussain,i who stated that the institution has adequate professionals that can collaborate with the agency in the areas of technical and human capacity development, also solicited assistance towards the institution’s 50th anniversary, which is expected to take place later this year.
NIMASA has proposed the establishement of Institutes of Maritime Studies in four universities in the country, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State; Niger Delta University, Amasoma, Bayelsa State; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State; and the University of Lagos.