The House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration has lauded the Tompolo Foundation on the immense contribution to the development of the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU). Leader of the committee, Mr Uduak Odudoh gave the commendation on Thursday during an oversight functions of the committee to the NMU, Okerenkoko in Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta. Odudoh addressed newsmen shortly after assessing the University’s facilities at the permanent and temporary sites in the twin communities of Okerenkoko and Kurutie respectively. “Let me use this opportunity on behalf of the committee and the House of Representatives to immensely thank the Tompolo Foundation. “Because from our assessment and reports, 40 per cent of what we are seeing here and the other campuses are done by the Tompolo Foundation,” he said. The lawmaker identified poor funding as a major challenge in the institution and promised that the committee would ensure the university was adequately funded to compete favorably with it’s counterparts. “The current government has established the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. If this university is adequately funded, it will add a lot of values to the ministry and Nigeria at large. “We have gone to the permanent and temporary sites, we have seen the facilities and the land donated by the communities. “We thank the communities leaders for maintaining absolute peace as well as donating large expanse of land for this laudable project. It shows that they want development. “We have asked the management of the university to list our the challenges in bullet points so that the House of Representatives will graciously take it up from there. “We will do everything as a parliament and include in our budget the building of a standard clinic in the university because of its distance from the upland,” Odudoh assured. Speaking on the bill establishing the NMU, the lawmaker said that the committee would expedite action to ensure the bill was passed into law, noting that once it is passed, the institution will “kick-start” very well. “We are going to work with the speed of light to ensure that the bill is passed into law so that everything that suppose to come to the university will not be denied,” he said. Odudoh assured that the committee would continue to visit the university to see to their challenges and level of development. Earlier, in his remark, the Vice Chancellor of the NMU, Prof. Emmanuel Adigio identified inadequate funding, transportation, electricity and staff accomodations as some of the challenges confronting the university. Adigio urged the federal government to build staff houses as well as increased funding for the institution. “The main thing is to increase the funding of this university. “NMU was initiated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). We are pleading with them to increase the funding to enable us to have more staff,” he said. The House Committee had earlier in the day visited the Pere of Gbaramatu kingdom, Oboro-Gbaraun 11, Aketekpe, Agadagba at his annex palace in Warri to intimate him on the oversight visit. The royal father urged the committee to ensure speedy passage of bill that established the university and accented to by President Bola Tinubu to become an Act. The king noted that the gesture would enable the NMU to enjoy same benefits with the other universities. On the House Committee delegation were: Omoleye Francis, Mathew Kuzalio Abubakar Mohammed and Mrs Ilami Ngbor (Clerk) among others. On the part of the NMU were: Dr Alfred Mulade, Registrar NMU, Dr Charley Igwe, Bursary, Associate Prof. Basil Posigha Acting Liberian, Prof. Tolumoye Tuaweri, Director Academic Planning and among others.