House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration has resolved to investigate all contractors connected to abandoned projects at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom State.

It also resolved to summon the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency over failure to remit the statutory five per cent allocation to the academy for over a year.

The resolutions followed a presentation by the Rector of the Academy, Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua (rtd), before the committee on oversight function to the academy on Thursday.

Speaking during an interactive session, the Chairman of the committee, Khadijah Bukar Abba Ibrahim, said all contractors, who abandoned projects from the inception of the institution would be investigated and made to account for every kobo collected to serve as a deterrent to others.

Ibrahim, who was represented by the Vice Chairman of the committee, Uduak Ududoh (PDP, Akwa Ibom), said that the committee would write to the institution to get back to Abuja, adding that the practice of abandonment of projects after taxpayers’ money had been paid must not be allowed to continue.

He said: “We will investigate the projects even from the inception of the school, and so when we get back to Abuja, we will meet as a committee and mandate the clerk of the committee to write to the institution because we cannot continue this way.

The committee expressed sadness that the statutory per cent allocation from NIMASA had not been paid for upward of one year and therefore resolved to summon the agency’s DG.

The motion to summon the DG was moved by Hon Mark Esset (PDP, Akwa Ibom). The Rector MAN, Commodore Duja Emmanuel Effedua (Rtd), in his presentation, told the committee about the state of infrastructural decay he met and how he transformed the institution with quality and adequate infrastructures as well as equipment and reorganisation, which, he said, saved the institution from collapse.