Achike Melokwu (vice chairman, ANLCA, TCIP)
Having a new leader from time to time is a welcome development, if we find out that the person occupying the position is not living up to expectation, the best thing is for him to be substituted with a professional that can do the job.
I will also strongly suggest that leadership positions at government parastatals should be constantly reviewed and should be based on tenures, since the position of the president and that of governors is four years, I suggest that the office of the DG should be every two years. Personally, I am in support of change and if anyone is found not to be effective, there is no need for him to over stay his time.
Samson Chima (Registrar, NIS)
We have witnessed a lot of changes since 1999 till date and technically speaking it is not good for the industry. I don’t know if these changes are political or the other way round.
The former administration of Dosunmu has gone far in repositioning maritime administration in the country; he has tried a lot by establishing the maritime resource centre and is still canvassing for Nigeria to retain its seat at the IMO. My own opinion is that we should have allowed the administration to achieve its objectives because I believe he has an agenda he wants to fulfil, its like removing a governor and bringing a new one who is coming in with new agenda, this is what normally leads to abandoned project because each administration will want to make a name. Why not allow the administration some time before bringing in another.
My position is that the government should be very careful in all these changes because as professionals, it affects us a lot and I think we still have a long way to go, we need to come together and identify our goals because, to me we don’t have any goal yet.
Mazi Joseph Anabaraonye (Freight Forwarders Academy)
I don’t think changing DG’s at NIMASA has helped the industry because anytime a new helmsman comes in, it might take him or her six to seven months before he becomes acquainted with the industry and by the time he wants to start working fully, he is removed, all these will continue to have negative effects on the industry and we will just remain the same.
I believe that stability is important for growth and development, even if we have to make these changes, we must ensure that we bring in professionals and experts who have the vision to make an impact in the industry. The consideration should not be only political, where professionalism is jettisoned. I believe there will always be some political Godfathers somewhere calling the shots, but let them also ensure that their man is professional enough.
However, I have seen the profile of the new director general and it is quiet impressive but it is now left to him to consider economic and professional factors over political factors. He should endeavour to prioritise whatever he wants to do.
M. Okoro (POTMAN)
The best thing for NIMASA is to go back to what it used to be, which a training ground is, you cannot commit so much money to train people and at the end of the day bring in somebody from outside the system to come and solve problems. What they have done with the new DG is to prop up somebody within the system and that is just fine because he is a system boy and I think there is hope because he has always been a workaholic. He is a lawyer who has held his head above water for more than 30 years.
It is not proper to politicize appointment into a regulatory body and I think NIMASA is highly politicized.
Demola Irinyemi (IFFN)
The frequent change of baton at NIMASA has, to some extent had negative effects on the industry, and I believe continuity in government policy is very important especially in a sector like the maritime industry.
To me, most of the DGs that have been brought in are not professionals who understand what it takes to move the industry forward and this has been to the detriment of the economy. Also, it will take time for any new person to acquaint himself with the industry, except if he is a professional. It’s only then that he will be able to make impact. However, all these are not healthy for the industry.
Another thing is that, these changes tend to impact negatively on the future of the maritime industry in terms of expenditure; whenever government brings in a new DG for NIMASA, it leads to another round of expenses and it has been the major cause of delays in implementation of planned projects. The new person will want to embark on his own project and thereby forsaking on-going projects..
Comrade Tony Nted (PG, maritime workers union of Nig.)
NIMASA, for the past three years have not trained even one dock worker, I said it at the meeting the last time and their complaint was that the terminal operators refused to pay the 0.5 percent which is meant for the training of dock workers, but I know there are other sources they are generating revenue, they should be able to source money from there and do something, but so far nothing has been done.
The former DG, as the man at the helm of affairs has not trained even one dock worker for the past two years, so if you ask me does the man know his job, well I believe he knows his job, which is not to train the dock workers. But, I don’t know why he was removed, he has been removed and that’s it, let’s see what the new man is capable of doing.
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