By Joshua Yousouph
The newly-elected President of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Mr. Oluyinka Onigbinde, has unveiled his reform agenda aimed at repositioning the association through institutional reforms, stronger stakeholder collaboration, ethical journalism, and reconciliation among members.
Recall that Oluyinka Onigbinde, Assistant Editor of Shipping Position Daily, emerged as the new President of MARAN, following a keenly-contested election held during the association’s elective congress, which held in Apapa, Lagos last week Thursday.
Onigbinde defeated veteran maritime journalist, Reverend John Iwori to clinch the presidency of the association. The election was conducted by the Lagos state council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Speaking during an interactive session on Radio Nigeria shortly after emerging as the 15th President of MARAN, Onigbinde said his administration would focus on rebuilding confidence within the association while elevating the standards of maritime journalism in Nigeria.
The Assistant Editor of Shipping Position Daily, who is regarded as one of the youngest presidents in the history of MARAN, described his emergence as a collective victory for the association, rather than an individual achievement.
According to him, leadership comes with enormous responsibility, sacrifice, and accountability, stressing that the task ahead would require unity and collaboration from all members. “Leadership is not about age; it is about responsibility, maturity, and the ability to carry the hopes and expectations of the people,” he said.
Onigbinde stated that a major priority of his administration would be institutional reforms designed to strengthen professionalism among maritime journalists and improve the overall relevance of MARAN within the maritime industry.
He noted that his agenda would revolve around promoting ethical journalism, improving members’ welfare, expanding training and capacity-building opportunities, and positioning MARAN as a stronger voice in maritime policy discussions and industry development.
“My dream includes strengthening professionalism among maritime journalists, improving members’ welfare, creating more training and capacity-building opportunities, and deepening engagement with industry stakeholders,” he stated.
The MARAN president also emphasized the need for ethical reorientation within the journalism profession, particularly among younger reporters covering the maritime sector.
According to him, mentoring younger journalists and promoting responsible journalism would form a critical part of his administration’s focus. “We intend to promote ethical journalism and ensure that younger journalists are mentored appropriately,” he added.
Onigbinde identified stakeholder collaboration as a key strategy for achieving his administration’s objectives, noting that sustainable progress in MARAN cannot be achieved in isolation. “The first step is collaboration. We need to collaborate with stakeholders and everyone necessary to ensure that these dreams become achievable,” he said.
Beyond reforms and professionalism, the new MARAN president pledged to pursue reconciliation within the association following the electioneering process, assuring members that his administration would remain inclusive.
He acknowledged that elections naturally create divisions and alignments, but stressed that the association must now move forward as one united family.
“My administration will be inclusive. There will be no room for party A or party B. Everybody must see themselves as part of this government regardless of who supported me or not,” he declared.
Onigbinde further disclosed that he had already reached out to his co-contestant shortly after the election results were announced, expressing readiness to adopt good ideas from across divides in order to move MARAN forward. “I look forward to working with him and building stronger synergy to take MARAN to greater heights,” he said.
As part of efforts to strengthen unity and institutional continuity, the MARAN president revealed plans to reconnect with past presidents and former members of the association, many of whom had become inactive over the years.
He disclosed that some former presidents have already indicated interest in returning to the association following his emergence. “We intend to bring back some of our past presidents and members, so that we can work together as one body again,” he noted.
Onigbinde also reaffirmed his commitment to sustaining key MARAN programmes, especially the association’s Annual Maritime Lecture, which he described as one of the flagship platforms for industry engagement and policy discourse.
