L-R: Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, his wife, Elima, Chairman Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha and his wife, Funmilayo during the NIMASA Corporate Dinner & Merit Awards held in Lagos last night, January 18, 2020.
The Federal Government has said prospects in the maritime sector hold the key to economic growth in the country with the possibility of placing it among the first 70 countries in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index by 2023.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, stated this at the weekend in Lagos at the third edition of the annual Corporate Dinner and Merit Awards organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
That projection came as Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, said the transportation sector was being developed as a strategic driver of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s economic diversification and growth agenda. Amaechi said the government was focused on the establishment of a strong intermodal transport system that would facilitate seamless movement of goods and people and drastically reduce the cost of transportation and business, generally.
Mustapha, who chaired the evening of honours for outstanding maritime players, said recent improvements in the Nigerian maritime industry had positioned it as a viable guarantee of economic growth and wealth creation.
He disclosed with delight that Nigeria had moved from 170 to 131 in the global ease of doing business table since Buhari established the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in July 2016.
The council was set up to remove bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria and make the country an increasingly easier place to start and grow a business.
Mustapha said the PEBEC initiative, coupled with significant developments in ports and maritime, had engendered great improvements in ease of doing business in the country.
“In our bid to improve efficiency and productivity in the maritime industry and the country at large, the PEBEC was created to ensure an enabling environment for port efficiency. Government will continue to support the maritime sector because on it rests opportunities for wealth creation and economic growth,” he stated.
On his part, Amaechi said with a developed transport sector, “There will be increased productivity, which comes with creation of more jobs and production of more goods and services. All these will make the economy more competitive, reduce dependence on oil, and usher in economic growth. This is our target.”
In his welcome address, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, noted the significant change in the reputation of the Agency in the last few years. Dakuku said the burnished image was part of the fruits of the Management’s deliberate effort to change the old ways of doing things in the industry and the Agency, for the overall good of the economy.
Highlights of the occasion included the conferment of awards to outstanding maritime industry players and staff of NIMASA. One hundred and eighty one staff of the Agency bagged long service awards for 15-30 years of service, with Mrs. Constance Omagbemi getting the coveted Employee of the Year.
L-R: Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Winner, NIMASA Employee of the Year, Mrs Omagbemi Constance Evi, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha during the NIMASA Corporate Dinner & Merit Awards held in Lagos last night, January 18, 2020.
GAC Shipping Company won the Overall Shipping Company of the Year, among eight awardees of the Industry Stakeholders Merit Award. They were Total Exploration and Production Company, AP Miller Terminal, Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT), and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron.
Others were West African Ventures, Awaritse Nigeria Limited, and Sea Navigation International Limited.
Six state governors graced the occasion, including the host governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of Lagos State, who came with his deputy, Femi Hamzat, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, and Godwin Obaseki of Edo State. Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State was represented by the Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau.
Other dignitaries included Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Danjuma Goje, who represented Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Lynda Ikpeazu; Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman; and Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), George Muoghalu.
