A bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Maritime Corps has scaled through second reading on the floor of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
The bill is sponsored by Dr Alex Egbona who represents the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The bills seeks to achieve the enactment of a law that would promote maritime security in the nation’s waterways.
It was read a second time before being referred to committee on Navy as well as the committee on maritime safety, education and administration.
Speaking on the bill, Egbona said the many cases of insecurity on the waterways across the country, including the Niger Delta region, would be taken care of by the time the bill is passed into law.
He thanked his colleagues for supporting the bill and expressed the hope that it would soon be passed and accented to, by the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Egbona expressed excitement that those who are interested in being trained on leather works will have the opportunity to get into the classroom at Ekureku, Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State, to learn.
The Ekureku centre of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) is already getting ready to commence academic activities, according to Egbona.
A manager for the Ekureku centre has already been appointed by the Federal Government.
He is Mr Bernard Egwi Igiri, an indigene of Ekureku and has just been transferred from the institute’s directorate of research and development in Zaria to Ekureku to oversee the new centre.
The Federal Government commenced construction work at the temporary campus of the institute at Ekureku following moves by Egbona in that direction.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, Egbona said he decided to approach the Federal Government to attract the institute to his federal constituency because of the need to empower his people.
He said it was exciting to know that after years of lobby and pressure on the authorities, the institute was finally at the verge of taking off at the Ekureku centre.
He said in the next few years, the economy of Ekureku would come alive, as people would be visiting the town for high quality leather materials, including those for shoes, bags, chairs, wrist watches et cetera.
He thanked the Federal Government for considering Ekureku as site for the monotechnic, saying everybody from Cross River and beyond would have the opportunity to learn at the centre.
