Your Excellency, Sir, on behalf of the Maritime Elders Forum, we send you good tidings. We wish you God’s guidance as you mark the third anniversary of your appointment. Your Excellency, I hope you do not take offence for making this another open letter, as I always do. Having spent about three years in the saddle as Nigeria’s premier Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, am sure you would have realised how tasking this assignment has been, especially as you are expected to build from ground zero. Even though you inherited some structures you met at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, your mandate and expectations from Mr President are clear: to sustainably harness Nigeria’s marine and coastal resources to foster economic growth and development while ensuring the conservation of marine ecosystem. Sir, your predecessors met solid structures on ground. They were not saddled with the responsiblity of spending valuable time setting up new templates and timelines that comes with legal and administrative frameworks . Your Excellency, despite these teething problems , you have not left us in doubt about your determination to meet the targets set by President Bola Ahmed when you assumed duty in August 2023. In less than three years in office, you achieved what your predecessor, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past Nigeria’s Transportation Minister could not achieve in eight long years, by taking Nigeria back to Category ” C” of the IMO Council. This feat, including other landmark achievements of your three year tenure stand you out as an exemplary leader. Sir, despite the recent optics on the road to the first disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, Nigerian Shipowners as well other stakeholders are awaiting to see the emergence of its first beneficiaries.Your Excellency, while we commend you on the planned upgrade of the Tin Can and Apapa ports, we happy that attention is now being focused on the dilapidating port infrastructure in the eastern ports.
On marine capacity development , the landmark commissioning of the Institute of Marine Studies in the University of Lagos also deserve accolades. As laudable as these feats may appear, stakeholders are on edge that our premier maritime institution , the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Akwa Ibom State , is without a substantive Rector. This is certainly not good enough for our country’s reputation, especially at a time MAN , Oron is facing a credibility crises in the face of competition from similar institutions in Africa.
The present situation calls for a decisive action from policy makers ,and the need to boost the morale of staff and students of the Academy. Honourable Minister, we need not look far to shop for a competent Rector for the Academy. In my opinion, Dr Kevin Okonna has what it takes to take the Academy to the next level, having piloted the institution in an acting capacity for over two years. His resume and achievements in the last 24 months is a tastament to the fact that he is as fit as a fiddle as Rector .
Dr. Kevin Okonna is a distinguished Nigerian maritime scholar, educator, and administrator currently serving as the Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron. Appointed in January 2025, he has decades of experience in maritime education, specialising in Nautical Studies and Educational Technology.
Dr. Okonna holds a PhD in Educational Technology from the University of Uyo, Nigeria and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Maritime Affairs (Specialising in Maritime Education and Training – Nautical) from the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden.
He joined the Maritime Academy of Nigeria decades ago, rising through the ranks to serve in key positions, including Chief Lecturer, Director of Consultancy Services, and pioneer roles in the Maritime Safety Department and the Strategy, Research, and Development Directorate.
He was appointed by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, as acting Rector. Dr Okonna is focused on improving sea-time opportunities for cadets, strengthening the curriculum, and fostering partnerships. He recently negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with NSML to place cadets on ocean-going vessels.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria and a member of the Nautical Institute (NI), UK. He recently received an award for Distinguished Leadership in Logistics and Transport from CILT in 2025. Ladies and gentlemen, we present Dr Kelvin Okonna as MOST IMPACTFUL MARITIME CHIEF EXECUTIVE, 2025
Bottom Line: WHEN WILL OYETOLA VISIT OKERENKOKO? Sir, since your assumption of duty as Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, you have not failed to emphasise the importance of human capacity as the bedrock for this sector. To drive home this point, you recently commissioned a complex for the School of Maritime Studies at the University of Lagos. This is a clear testament to the fact that you are prepared to match words with action. Surprisingly, and three years into your tenure, you are yet to pay a working visit to the Nigerian Maritime University, Okorenkoko, Delta. This institution requires urgent infrastructure upgrade and quality academic and non-academic staff to bring it a par with similar institutions globally. I hereby appeal to you to make time from your very busy schedule to visit Okerenkoko, which should be home to the abandoned NIMASA floating dock.