Nearly six months after the appointment of Dr. Dakuku Peterside as the substantive Director-General (D-G) of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), President Muhammadu Buhari has finally constituted the Executive Management of the Agency with the appointment of three Executive Directors.
For the second time in the Agency’s nearly 30 years history – that is from the National Maritime Authority (NMA) era, an insider, Mr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, has been appointed into the Executive Management of the Agency as the Executive Director in charge of Finance and Administration. The first insider appointment was Engr. Oliver Ogbuagu in 2006 as Executive Director, Operations.
Jamoh brings to bear over twenty years cognate industry experience to his new position which is basically to coordinate the Administration and Financial Services operations of the Agency for optimum productivity.
Currently a Ph.D student of the University of Port Harcourt specializing in Logistics and Transport Management, he also holds a Masters degree in Management from the Korea Maritime and Ocean University in South Korea, an Advanced Diploma in Management from the Bayero University Kano. Jamoh has a Professional Certificate in Materials Management from the Institute of Logistics in the UK and a Diploma in Accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He is no doubt adequately prepared to take up his new assignment.
In fact, it is safe to say that this appointment is one where the President is spot on. A lot of government agencies in the maritime sector have qualified personnel to change the tide but lack the political backing to implement their ideas.
On assumption of duty as Director General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside was quoted to have commended the calibre, professionalism and commitment of the personnel he met in the Agency. Even the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Member States Audit Scheme (IMSAS) that visited Nigeria for an industry audit also acknowledged the fact that NIMASA had no issues with human resources.
This goes without saying that at whatever capacity, staff of NIMASA, if given the right opportunities, can operate with the highest ethical standards of professionalism. This is one of the reasons why the appointment of Mr. Jamoh is well conceived.
Having served in various management capacities in both operations and administration, it is the expectation of stakeholders that Mr. Jamoh will utilise his insider experience to enhance the operations of the Agency.
There is no gain saying that previous administrations had stunted the career progression of a lot of professionals in the Agency, especially at the middle and top management level. This was perhaps as a result of the lack of procedural knowledge of administration as it relate to recruitment, placement and promotion or a complete disregard of laid down procedures.
Being a major challenge in the Agency currently, Mr. Jamoh in his new capacity, will have to deploy his experience as a trained administrator and knowledge of the inner workings of NIMASA to tackle this issue and others, with the seriousness it deserves in order to rebuild trust and engender a new spirit of motivation for higher productivity.
Mr. Jamoh’s inside information will also be instrumental in assisting Dr. Peterside in restructuring and re-organising the Agency’s operations to give greater autonomy to the operational zones and units.
This is very crucial to shore up the Agency’s revenue while blocking leakages especially in this period of recession, where a few analysts have suggested that the maritime industry can be a veritable tool to push the nation out of its present economic challenges, because of its revenue generation and job creation capacity.
Having served as the Assistant Director in charge of Training and Development for several years, Mr. Jamoh is very conversant with the training needs of staff of NIMASA and so it would be easy for him to initiate these training needs, convince the Executive Management and the Governing Board, so as to build a corps of very talented staff in line with the vision of the Director General.
As a member of the Governing Board of the Agency, Mr. Jamoh is also certain to effectively represent the interests and welfare of the staff as he has had firsthand experience of their challenges and aspirations.
For an Agency that has been grossly misunderstood and its resources blatantly looted by past political appointees, it becomes his lot to make sure the resources are not only expended for the benefit of Nigerians but that the national assets entrusted in the Agency’s care are jealously guarded.
Mr. Jamoh has written several papers on the Nigerian maritime industry relating to growing the Nigerian tonnage, building human and infrastructural capacity as well as the implementation of the Cabotage Act. He now has the opportunity to initiate the implementation of these initiatives he has espoused to various leaders who did not have the political will to bring them to fruition.
With his quiet mien, humility and dedication, Mr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh will not only prove his mettle by discharging this new assignment creditably, but will also contribute his best to the development of the Nigerian maritime industry for the benefit of Nigerians.
*Nongo, a Public Affairs Commentator, lives in Abuja.
