The Vice Chancellor of Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) Prof. Emmanuel Adigio, has reaffirmed commitments in tackling some of the major challenges confronting the institution in the new year, just as he solicited the patience and understanding of both staff and students in the collective efforts to build a solid institution.

Making his determination known in an interview with newsmen in Warri, yesterday, the VC who lamented the plights of some staff interms of cost of transportion to work, inadequate accommodation and unsettled end of year bonus, said all the problems are surmountable if they can all join hands together to find lasting solutions to them.

While admitting that it would be insensitive on his part to claim that all is well in the institution when there are obvious challenges facing it, Prof. Adigio, however noted that such inconveniences staff and students are currently passing through are synonymous with newly established institutions in the country until they are fully stabilized.

He denied knowledge of any N3B said to have been released to the institution by Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for payment of allowances, claiming the school has no record of such money, adding that the monitoring of funds made available to federal government establishments by the anti-graft agencies in the country has made it very difficult to divert funds meant for a particular project in any institution.

On the issue of some forces working against the growth of the University, Prof. Adigio, said it was natural for some persons not to be happy with established entities including organisations and institutions as well as creatures created by God, adding that whatever forces working against the university would not succeed as light always triumph over darkness.

According to him; “All we craved right now is the patience and understanding of both staff and students. We quite appreciate the sacrifices and pains they have been through but the fact remains that in a shortest possible time things would change for the better and those of us who are here today will begin to enjoy it”.

“Alot of the challenges we are having now would have been over and the institution would be well positioned to meet up with some of the pressing welfare demands that most of our staff and students had to contend with in the school environment”.

“We are not unmindful of the difficult terrain we are located and the stress most of our staff resident in Warri, Port Harcourt, and other parts of the country had to go through in terms of transportation to get here and even accommodation issues, as most of them cannot afford to bring their families to come and live with them where they are presently working”.