The board of Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) over the weekend enacted a new management and administrative structure for the money-spinning agency.
In a major decision, the board headed by Mr Emmanuel Adesoye scrapped the age-long zonal structure of the agency; it also approved the reduction in the number of General Managers from 25 to 22.
By the decision to scrap the zones, it means that henceforth, departments in the ports will now report directly to the head office in Lagos.
The changes were contained in a statement signed by Mr Ibrahim Nasiru, Principal Manager, Corporate & Strategic Communications
Justifying the structure, the NPA said the decisions which were agreed upon by the board on July 27, marks the ‘’commencement of a Business Process Re-engineering initiative that will create synergies to improve efficiency’’.
Apart from scrapping the zonal structure and reducing the number of General Managers from other changes approved by the board include: the upgrade of the Hydrography and Dredging Department into a Division status to be headed by a General Manager in recognition of its strategic importance to the Authority; the upgrade of the Information and Communications Technology Department into a Division to take more responsibilities from Departments like Utilities. Other are-the creation of a new Monitoring and Regulations Division; the merger of the Capital Projects and Maintenance Divisions into a single Engineering Division to eliminate redundancies; the scrapping of the Special Duties Division.
The new structure has also affected the the nomenclature of nine departments and divisions including Public Affairs, which will now be known as Corporate Communications; Overseas Office (London Office) now to be known as International Liaison Office; Capital Projects and Maintenance Divisions now to be known as Engineering Division; Hydrography and Dredging Department now Hydrography Services Division; Monitoring and Compliance Division now Monitoring and Regulation Division; Commercial and Port Promotion Services Department now Tariff & Billing Department; Secretary/Legal Services now Legal Services; Insurance & Risk Management Department now Enterprise Risk Management Department and the Business Development and Joint Venture Department into Public Private Partnership Division.
In the statement, NPA management is quoted as saying that the ‘’review has become important because NPA’s structure has remained the same in spite of the 2006 concession which changed the Authority status from owner/operator to landlord’’.
It added that the new changes will end the duplication of responsibilities across divisions, forestall the unnecessary bottleneck currently created by the zonal office structure, end redundancies created by the transfer for certain core function of the Authority to third party contractors and end the multiple reporting relationships and attendant red tape.
Affected by the changes are Goje Abudulahi Aliyiu (General Manager Eastern Ports) who now takes charge of newly created Corporate and Strategic Communications Division.
Also affected is Capt. Ebubeogu Iheanacho who until now was General Manager Monitoring and Compliance Western Zone, who will now serve as General Manager in the Managing Director’s office.
The erstwhile General Manger Special Duties Mrs Ugo Madubuike now assumes duty as General Manager, Monitoring and Regulatory Services. Other highlights of the changes are those affecting Abdulahi Buhari who was General Manager SERVICOM who will take charge of Administration, while Mohammed Nasir Anas, moves from Administration to Security.
NPA’s Abuja Laison office is to be overseen by Kabir Edward Dauda, the erstwhile General Manager, Monitoring and Compliance of the Eastern Zone.
Other new postings are those of Engr. Peter Obinomen, General Manger Capital Projects who is now to assume functions as GM, Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Engr. Mohammed Ahmed Rufai GM PP and D, now General Manager- Engineering.
A statement from the Corporate and Strategic Communications Division also lists Mrs Ufere Carolyn, GM Superannuation who now takes charge of SERVICOM and Arc Gbadamosi Rafiu Abiodun GM Operations Western Ports moves to Superannuation.
In similar vein, the General Manger Maintenance Engr. Jatto Adeiza now takes charge of Land and Asset Administration while Onueyenwa Simeon Obumneme, General Manager C and SP assumes duty as General Manager in charge of ICT.
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