Historical Background

Maritime Technology and Logistics was the first programme in the School of Logistics and Innovation Technology . It started in 1982/87. The programme has an initial link with University of Wales Maritime Studies Department which helped to set up shipping laboratory. The programme’s growth was interrupted somewhat by the non-admission of students in 1987/88. The interruption in the admission of students into the programme in 1987/88 to the 1988 Kaduna Seminar affected the programme’s growth. But it has since recovered. Since 1982, Maritime Management Technology has been offered as an option in the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) Transport Management Technology Programme. The ancestry of a formal proposal for the establishment of the Department of Maritime Management Technology can be traced to the 2000/2001academic session, following correspondence to that effect between Prof. I. C. Ogwude and Dr O. R.Owen, then the Dean of School of Management Technology and Ag. Head, Department of Transport Management Technology respectively. Programme details and curriculum content were subsequently developed under Mr S. I. Ukaegbu, Ag. H.O.D. TMT, and his successor, Dr C. C. Ibe. Sequel to exhaustive discussions, amendments, presentations and representations of the proposed programme involving department of Transport Management Technology Board of studies, the SMAT Board of studies, and the University Senate, the programme was finally approved at 26th Senate of Thursday 25th March 2004. The first batch of students into the programme was admitted in 2004/2005 session while an acting head of Department was appointed on 26th April 2005 in the person of Dr K. U. Nnadi. In recognition of the important role of the programme in training graduates in this field of study, the Nigerian Shippers Council under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Transport endowed one million naira (N1,000,000.00)professorial Chair to the programme in 1992. To build an expansive knowledge base in Maritime field and sustain growth forty five million naira (N45,000,000.00) was donated for the building of maritime centre in FUTO in 2004, by the National Maritime Authority (NMA) now Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Maritime Programme has graduated hundreds of students since 1987.

The list of names of the Heads of department and tenures of the Heads of the Maritime department from 2005 is given below;

Dr K. U. Nnadi……………2005 – 2009
Dr D. U. Ekwenna ………2009 – 2011
Dr A. I. Nwokoro…………2011 – 2012
Dr D. U. Ekwenna……… 2012 – 2013
Prof. K. U. Nnadi…………2013 – 2016
Dr C. Onyemechi…………2016 to date

Philosophy

Management technology is the bridge between management/administration and conventional engineering and technology. Any nation can establish with relative ease a bureaucratic system and science/technology as separate entities. It is, however, difficult to equip the nation with personnel who can handle both management and technocrat can give sound advice to Management technical know-how but have little knowledge of the management/coordination aspects of the system. The Department of Maritime Management technology is the appropriate ground for breeding technocrats for the Maritime industry.

Objectives

Among the objectives of the Department are:

To train technocrat-managers who can manage effectively the transport sector of the national economy.
To provide the training locally since overseas training is cost-prohibitive.
To produce graduates with proven ability who would be capable of making an effective contribution to the middle/upper management cadre level of planning, policy-making and management of transport organizations of Nigeria.
To contribute to the development of the transport industry in Nigeria through joint research, seminar and workshop activities with national and international organizations.