By Ken Afor
There are speculations in the presidency that Professor Abiodun Sule may be considered for the position of Director-General at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) amid unsubstantiated claims of corruption against him.
The maritime industry is considered as one of the major components in the Nigerian economy that requires the best hand, an expert who will leverage on the investment opportunities in the industry.
Professor Sule holds two PhDs in Maritime Technology Management and Fisheries & Aquaculture. He also earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration and possesses a range of professional certifications, including a Marine Navigation Certificate and a Joint Scandinavian Surveyor Certificate.
He obtained an MSc degree from WMU Malmo, Sweden, in 1994, and an extensive catalog of 110 publications and textbooks.
His plans for the maritime industry are geared towards enhancing existing Aquaculture programs, particularly in Mari-culture and fresh water domains, to revitalize Deep Sea Capture Fisheries and Fisheries Value Chain programs to boost food security in Nigeria.
Over the years, the maritime industry has not been able to provide preservatory techniques for the high volume of fishes being harvested from Nigeria’s coastal waters but with the proposed plan by Prof. Sule to partner with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) to implement advanced post-harvest technologies, such as the Thiaroye smoking kiln, it is believed this idea would reduce post-harvest losses among fishermen.
In addition, Prof. Sule will kick-start the second phase of Fisheries National Stock Assessments which if it gets on board the agency will get to explore the variety of livestock species and their health conditions in Nigerian coastal waters.
Also, he reportedly plans to revive the abandoned artisanal fishery training programs by extracting and compiling accurate data on Fisheries Artisans and Marine fishing to determine their economic contributions to the country’s economy.
Professor Sule is currently the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos. He is an accomplished maritime professional and a certified Marine Captain.
Prior to his appointment as Provost, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Victoria Island in January 1, 2015, he was the Deputy Provost – Academics and Chief Lecturer at the Nautical Science Department of the College.
