Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Hadiza Bala Usman has given the current management a pass mark, saying that it has achieved most of the target set for itself in 2017.
She however attributed the success to the support the management is receiving from the organisation’s employees.
Usman stated this last weekend at the NPA Long Service/Merit Award for staff of the agency.
According to her, irrespective of the outlook of the economy at the beginning of the year, NPA was still able to meet its target.
‘’In spite of the outlook of the economy at the beginning of this year, the management of the Authority set out certain goals and objectives for itself for 2017 and we are grateful that we have attained most of the goals that we set for ourselves’’, she said.
Underscoring the contributions of the organisation’s workforce, Usman said the management of the NPA has kept an open door in its approach.
‘’Right from the outset, management was conscious of the fact that none of these would be attainable without the understanding and cooperation of the workforce. This is the main reason we have maintained an open door policy which has made it possible for all of us rub minds and agree on the best way to achieve the very important task of repositioning port operations in Nigeria for better efficiency’’, she told the gathering at the NPA Sport Ground at Bode Thomas in Lagos.
She showered appreciation on the workforce for what she called; ‘’keeping faith with us’’.
‘’While we are not at that place where we hope to be, we certainly are not where we started from. So I take the opportunity that this rare event presents to commend you for your commitment to service and all the sacrifices that you have all had to make.’’
The NPA Managing Director also gave an insight into what 2018 portends, saying that the management intends to further accountability and efficiency in the nation’s seaports.
To the workers, she said, ‘’as we do this however, we would continue to lay a demand on you to set a standard of dedicated and committed service to maritime industry in particular and our nation in general’’.
“It is our desire to entrench accountability and efficiency signaled by smooth operations at all our port locations and improvement in the turnaround time of cargoes in the coming year, it is our desire to improve on the Executive Orders that we started implementing and reduction in the delay time at the ports”, she added.
A total of 530 personnel were honoured for long service at the event, seven were given merit award. Also 30 officers of the NPA Fire Service Department who put off the recent fire in Port Harcourt were also honoured.
She also assured the workers that, ‘’in the coming year, we assure that we will do our best to improve the condition of service of staff and raise the morale of our people’’.
Letters of commendation were given to the three crew men of MT Otuoke tugboats and 30 fire officers for saving Nigeria N19billion which could have been damages from the fire incident at Port Harcourt port on Friday 11th August 2017.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Executive Director Finance and Administration of NPA, Muhammed Bello Koko said that the award is a clarion call to ignite and encourage the workers to be more productive, jettison the old order and ensure punctuality to work.
He assured that the management has recently approved the implementation of performance management framework. "the initiative is to recognize hardwork, integrity and dedication to duty"
It would also to a large extent, eliminate stagnation of employees, improve motivation of workers to the attainment of set goals, it would ultimately boost the productivity and improve revenue generation.
Also speaking, the duo of NPA branch president of the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) comrade Ifeanyi Mazeli and President of NPA Senior Staff Association, Comrade Benson Adegbeyeni commended the NPA boss for resuscitating the long service award which according to them has been dead for several years.
The unionists urged NPA workers to give maximum support to the NPA management in the coming year in order to realise more revenue for the government.
"We commend Hadiza for the work she is doing, irrespective of the bad roads leading to the ports and the economic recession, NPA has made so much money this year", they said,
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