Recognized On Efforts Thus Far

The Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) as well as other well-meaning corporate bodies and associations have challenged maritime Chief Executives on further transformation of the Nigerian maritime industry touted as capable of funding the country’s annual fiscal budget.

While the Master Mariners honoured Commodore duja Effedua Emmanuel, Rector Maritime Academy of Nigeria with it’s Honorary Fellowship award in recognition of his efforts at transforming the Academy, the champion Newspapers honoured the duo of Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, as the Maritime Icon Of the Year 2022 and Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA as Public Servant Of the year 2022, thus tasking the three maritime executives to up their game, do more and reposition the industry for greater efficiency.

See https://maritimenig.com/2023/05/mohammed-bello-koko-clinches-award/ ‎

The President of NAMM, Capt. Tajudeen Alao while decrying  deplorable state of the industry, due to its underperformance and dormant potentials, however described Effedua as a phenomenal administrator and transformational achiever who places premium on national effort including giving due recognition to role models and deserving national officers.

Capt Alao commended the Rector for pulling the Academy out of the woods by his reconstruction and repositioning agenda which has placed the Academy on the world as one of the best globally.

According to Capt. Alao “Effedua named roads, buildings and blocks after Master Mariners without lobbying and it shows his regard for the association and its professionals. Some of our colleagues haven’t been proud to identify themselves as MAN Oron Alumni in the past but under the leadership of Comrade Effedua the story has changed”.

“The Academy boasts of world best facilities and there has been positive turnaround at the Academy as a result of Effedua’s visionary leadership.”

The NAMM President reiterated that with the right support the maritime sector can be at par with the nation’s crude industry or even surpass it in terms of contribution Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He called for concerted efforts to harness the resources of the sector.

Receiving the Award the Rector said “I want to appreciate my staff because they supported me and agreed with me on repositioning of the Academy. I dedicate this award to future Seafarers and those who are currently in training because it capped my efforts towards making life easier for them. The blocking of revenue leakages, which has made very unpopular is mainly responsible for what we have been able to do at the Academy”

Group Managing Director, Champion Newspapers, Dr. Nwadiuto Iheakanwa, in honouring the NPA CEO described him as a pragmatic leader that has distinguished himself as a dynamic business administrator, innovative manager, and a technocrat.

“We note, with delight that you are first among the leading Chief Executive Officers in Nigeria that have distinguished themselves not only as a dynamic business administrator, innovative manager, and technocrat but also shown a high degree of integrity and transparency in both private and public affairs”.

Jamoh, who was honoured alongside prominent Nigerians such as Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Sanwo Olu of Lagos, and Audu Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State also got their  categories of awards.

Presenting the award on behalf of the organization in Lagos this weekend, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe said the award was in recognition of Jamoh’s achievements in NIMASA.

The Champion Newspapers said Jamoh’s recognition was borne out of the fact that the agency under his leadership has made fresh inputs due to his leadership skills.

“Your ingenious, creative, pragmatic and resilient approach to leadership has brought a lot of transformation to the NIMASA which includes deployment of an integrated national security and waterways protection infrastructure in Nigeria code-named the Deep Blue Project. You have demonstrated passion, dedication, competence, commitment, and dynamism leading NIMASA to contribute its quota to the rapid socio-economic development in Nigeria,” the newspaper said

Overall, the awards to the CEOs is clearly a call to duty as all eyes are on them to strive harder, roll up their sleeves, think out of the box and create the desired maritime industry for optimum results to investors and stakeholders.