By Stephen Ubanna
Events had moved so fast in the last two months since the promotion of nine Deputy Directors and several other senior staff, by the Governing Board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to Directors.
The elevation of the nine Deputy Directors to Directors level which had catapulted them become members of the maritime agency under the ministry of Federal ministry of marine and blue economy Management Team may have given Dayo Moereola, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, to organize a strategic retreat for them aimed at cascading the Presidential and ministerial priorities for the maritime and blue economy ministry across all levels o the agency.
Given the NIMASA, Director General, determination to ensure that staff deliverables are directly aligned with the Renewed vision agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinublu, and the Federal ministry of marine and blue economy which has Adegboyega Oyetola, who incidentally was a former governor of Osun state, may have informed why he has reshuffled the Departmental Heads ‘’signaling a stronger commitment to accountability and measurable outcomes’’.
Until Mobereola, the NIMSA, CEO, reshuffled the new Management Team, he had told the Directors, who incidentally are Departmental Heads that they must ‘’cascade outcomes and expectations from this retreat to their subordinates without delay’’, warning that ‘’anyone found creating bottlenecks or underperforming will be held accountable’’.
With the strategic redeployment of the Directors ‘’to strengthen the agency operational efficiency and service delivery’’ in line with its core mandate, the NIMASA helmsman, who could not hide his feelings had said that ‘’the exercise aims to strengthen inter-departmental collaboration and inject new energy into the system to further improve performance across the nation’s maritime industry.
The tough talking NIMASA boss, was said to have urged the redeployed Directors, to bring their experience to bear and work collectively toward achieving the agency’s strategic objectives’’.
Among the newly redeployed Directors were Hajia Moji Jimoh, Aishatu Jidda, Heaky Dimowo, a lawyer, Isichei Osamgbi, who incidentally had served as the agency, spokesperson, Olubusola Obasanjo-Akande,Christpher Amakulo, an Engr, Mrs. Gloria Anyasodo, Mrs. Nneka Obianyor, Abdullahi Yelwa, and Umar Ibrahim Sidi, Oma Ofodile, Buba Umar and Ahmed Shittien
A statement issued by Osagie Edward, a Deputy Director and the agency spokesperson, shows that Hajia Jimoh, had been assigned as the maritime agency, new Director of Administration and Human Resources Department, Mrs. Jidda, Planning, Research and Data Management Services while Barrister Dimowo, takes over as the agency Legal Services and would also double as the Board Secretary.
Isichei, was said to have been taken from the Director General’s office, as Director Special Duties, to SERVICOM, and Mrs. Obasanjo-Akande, taken to the agency western zone as the new Director. Engr. Amakulo, is the agency new Director of Special Duties, in the office of the Director General and Mrs.Ayasodo, taken, to the Cabotage Department, as the Director Cabotage Services, Yelwa, Shipping Development, Mrs. Obianyor, Reforms Coordination and Blue Economy, and Sidi, Director, Maritime Labour Services.
Ofodile, one of the newly promoted NIMASA, Directors, was said to have been taken to the Department of Marine Environment Management, Umar, Abuja, the Federal capital Territory, FCT, Zonal office and Shittien, becomes the new Special Adviser, Technical, to Mobereola, the NIMASA, Director General.
The tough talking NIMASA, Chief, had said that the redeployment of the agency Management Staff in reflects deliberate efforts ‘’to rejig its operations, foster energy among the various departments, and further drive the nation’s sustainable maritime development as obtained in other maritime nations.
He may have alluded the maritime operations to the Asian countries of China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the North American country of the United States, and the African countries of Egypt and South Africa
The NIMASA new Directors and Heads of Department, who had settled down for serious work, may have read the hand writing on the wall that they cannot afford to fail as they were said to have started perusing the files to know where their predecessors had stopped and to know where to begin. They were said to have also tarted holding consultations with their Assist and Deputy Directors I their respective Departments to be well-informed about the happenings in the Department in order to make the right decisions are taken that would enhance the agency’s operations.
