According to Sir Winston Churchill, “The price of greatness is responsibility.” These words aptly capture the intellect, depth and being of a public sector management turnaround expert, administrator, politician, mentor, leader, philanthropist, farmer and public servant, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.
His birthday on the 31st December serves as another reminder of how far he has travelled in the sojourn of life and how much he has contributed to making humanity better. Easily one of the most significant figure in politics and public service in Nigeria, his love and deployment of intellect for national strategic interest and relentless pursuit of excellence stands him out amongst others.
Throughout the walks of his life, he has demonstrated an uncanny ability to deliver on tough assignments, regardless of how precarious the situation is, and has always left indelible marks in the passage of time. From being an aide to Rivers State Governor to council chairman, commissioner to House of Reps member, governorship candidate to NIMASA DG, Dr Dakuku Peterside left a marker in all these responsibilities. He has proven to be an audacious reformer in the public sector, among the few who can think outside the box.
In public service, he straddles as the country’s foremost turnaround management expert. His four-year stewardship at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is still regarded as the best in its history. During his tenure, he wrought out some of the most fundamental changes and made NIMASA one of the most respected voices in the world of maritime regulation.
In fact, so profound was his tenure at NIMASA that he twice elected as the Chairman of Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) with an 11-member executive committee comprising representatives of Central Africa (Cameroun and Cape Verde), West Africa (Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana) and East Africa (Tanzania and Comoros). Others are Southern Africa (Mozambique and South Africa), North Africa (Egypt and Sudan) and Uganda representing land-locked countries, in addition to speaking on behalf of the continent on maritime issues.
When in 2017 he was elected the chairman of AAMA, then President Muhammadu Buhari stated: “Peterside’s unanimous election is not only a personal honour and affirmation of confidence in his ability to lead AAMA, but also places Nigeria in a pivotal position to rally other maritime administrations in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) towards safer global maritime activities.”
Under his watch, NIMASA was awarded the Public Organisation of the year 2016 by Tell Magazine, Champion Newspaper and Independent Newspaper respectively , while also receiving the Maritime Living Legend award from Maritime Media Limited for his contributions to Nigeria’s maritime sector.
Whilst being a member of the House of Representatives from 2011-2015, he was the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), where he had the privilege to oversight strategic National Oil and Gas establishments such as Petroleum Equalisation Fund, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company.
Of significant contributions in the House of Reps is leading other legislators to sponsor and champion the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as chairman of the technical Committee of the House of Representatives. The PIB has since been passed into law and is now touted to be one of the best legislations in Nigeria’s history of oil and gas industry.
He served as Rivers State Commissioner of Works from October 2007 to January 2011. As Commissioner of works, he managed the largest construction portfolio ever in the history of state government’s construction, supervising a total of 200 road projects (totaling 1,000 km), 5 flyover bridges, and 10 bridges in four years.
In public engagement, he is a syndicated columnist who has proven that you can balance objective criticism of government policies with proffering solutions. His incisive offerings into topical issues have been acknowledged by various stakeholders, including being used by policy makers to shape corporate administration.
Dr Petrside has had several speaking engagements in many countries, within and outside Africa, where he has shared his thoughts and processes with government officials, maritime and oil and gas industry operators, regulators, and investors, among others.
A fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management, a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria, and a member of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences of Nigeria, he has degrees in Management and Medical Laboratory Sciences, and a doctorate degree in Organisational Management, with research interest in Corporate Political Strategy.
Dr Peterside is a farmer and a multipurpose consultant who advises five state governments on issues of strategy, policy formulation, execution, and sustainability.
