Louis Mbanefo (S.A.N) President, Nigerian Maritime Law Association
Louis Mbanefo (S.A.N) President, Nigerian Maritime Law Association
I came to know Captain Omoteso on the occasion of the formation of the Master Mariners Association in 1987. Subsequently, during my time as chairman of the Board of Directors of the defunct Nigeria National Shipping Lines in 1993, I held a number of discussions with him and was greatly impressed by his vast knowledge and experience of the Nigerian maritime industry. A master mariner of great competence, he was one of the early set of mariners who underwent their training and rose through the ranks to captain in the hey days of the NNSL – he was a product of the golden era when NNSL ships proudly plied the oceans of the world bearing cargo to and from Nigeria.
Aside from his brilliance and vast knowledge, Captain was an extremely humble and likeable man of integrity. His sense of humour was highly infectious and his company was always stimulating. He will be sorely missed.
On behalf of my wife and myself and the all the members of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association, I send sincere condolences to his family and pray that his Gentle Soul will Rest in Perfect Peace.
Nnamdi Eronini (Maritime Practitioner)
Captain Omotesho is a doyen in the maritime industry, professionally speaking he has given the industry a very big impetus and the vacuum he has left with his demise will take a long while to be filled, he has been a colossus in the maritime industry, whatever he says while he was alive has always made strong meaning in the industry, he has always had this influence, he is one of the people we rely on, when it comes to the brad stacks we hear them say something or take actions and we will know that we are moving forward, somehow it is very painful that we need him at this point that we are entering into renaissance in the maritime industry because he should have led that renaissance, but what can we say? A good man has gone home to rest and we can only say God should grant him eternal rest in his bosom, we will sure miss him. when it comes to maritime education we will still talk of Captain Omotesho because he is one of the initiators who took concrete steps in trying to build capacity in the industry
Capt. Ade Olopoenia (President, Master Mariners Association)
Omotosho is a man that has so much passion for the master mariners and the maritime industry at large, it is so sad that he has left us at this point in time, we received news of his death with shock, he was one of the founding fathers of our association, he was a very committed person and he has so much passion for the industry, he was always looking for ways to project the master mariners and the industry at large. The industry should join us in praying for his family so that God will give them the fortitude to bear the loss, we will miss him greatly.
Chima Sampson (Registrar NIS)
Captain Omoteso was an epitome of the maritime industry, in my own view we have lost an ‘Iroko’ of the industry because throughout my experience with him, he was always there for me. However, God is the giver of life, I know there is a vacuum that has been created in the industry which will take a long time to be replaced by someone else. I believe he has been able to achieve his dream in life by contributing his own quota for the development of the maritime industry; he has put in his best from all ramifications and I pray that God will grant him eternal rest. We have missed an icon, Rest in Peace Captain.
Capt. Adewale Ishola (Former President, Master Mariners)
The news of his death was received with great shock; he has managed his life very well. He was a great mentor to us in the Master Mariners Association, he is a very senior colleague and a founding member of the association, he was chairman technical committee, I took over from him, he contributed immensely to the industry and he loved training people, the NPA can never forget him, both in Nigeria and abroad he was heavily involved in the training of pilots. Because of his passion for training, he established a school in Calabar, because of his health condition he recently asked me to assist him in giving the training in Calabar, I still have to do that training because I have committed myself, I have to do it to honor him.
Dr. Zebulon Ikokide (President NIFFCB)
Captain Omoteso was an erudite master mariner and was able to distinguish himself as foremost player in the maritime industry. I remember he was the first consultant to train Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO) on behalf of IMO. He also consulted for them. Captain Omoteso was one of the sound and educated individual in the industry; had the development of the ports started earlier as expected, we would have learnt a lot from him considering the fact that he was the most consulted individual in terms of how things should be done for port development during the port concession.
Comrade Akin Leosho (Former Secretary, NPA Senior Staff)
Capt. Omotesho has contributed his own quota to the development of the Nigerian maritime sector, he was a worthy master mariner of note in the industry, he was very passionate about the industry, there is no way you would talk about the Nigeria maritime sector that you will not mention him. Omotesho has passion for training and for the industry, he was a technical director at the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) and also a technical director at the NNSL, he was a consultant to International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on ISPS Code implementation, he was also a consultant to many other organization including Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)
Captain Randol Onoita (Merchant Navy)
Captain Omoteso was a reputable master mariner from Nigeria. He contributed immensely to maritime growth. I think paying tribute to him is a welcome development considering the fact that he was able to serve this country and we want younger ones to emulate what he left behind. No doubt the frontline master marine will be missed by all.
Chris Sadoh (Stars Maritime Academy)
Captain Omotesho deserves some level of respect because he has contributed immensely to the development of the maritime industry. I would love a situation whereby his children and even the youths of the country would emulate him. He is an icon that will remain in the minds of many, including myself.
Discussion about this post