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The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Alhaji Sabiu Zakari and the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, are set to lead veteran transport stakeholders to the 2019 MMS Transport Leadership Lecture/ Awards.
Zakari, confirmed his availability to grace the occasion last week, just as Obaseki is expected to play the role of the Chief Guest of Honour at the event.
The event organized by Kings Communications Limited has the former President of African Ship-owners Association (ASA), Barr. Temisan Omatseye as the chairman; while the Secretary-General, Abuja MOU on Port State Control, Barr. Mfon Usoro would deliver the lead paper at the summit.
The programme is scheduled for Tuesday, July 30th, 2019 at the Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos, on the theme; “Leadership In A ‘Next Level’ Democracy: Striking A Positive Balance In Transport Sector”
Speaking with MMS Plus newspaper ahead of the programme last week, Omatseye said; “transportation isn’t a ministry you just allow anyone to manage, especially the maritime sector which should be the most significant after oil. Oil cannot even move without the maritime sector”
According to him, the upcoming event would provide a good opportunity for transport veterans to converge and proffer solutions to the numerous challenges facing the nation’s transport sector.
The event would also feature double panel sessions as experts will dissect “Optimizing Digitalization and Connectivity in Transport Sector” to upscale leadership performance for improved contribution of the transport sector to the growth of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
All heads of parastatals in the transport sector have been invited as Special Guests of Honour, including the likes of the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) Mr. Hassan Bello, Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Managing Director of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN), Mr. Rabiu Yadudu; the Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau(AIB),Engr. Akin Olateru, among others.
The two panel sessions would be moderated by the Chairman, Ports Consultative Forum, Otunba Kunle Folarin, and the former Director General of National Maritime Authority (NMA) Mr. John Egesi; the panelists include: Barr. (Mrs.) Margaret Orakwusi, Chairman, Ship Owners’ Forum; Dr. Mkgeorge Onyung, President, Ship-Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Mr. Paul Ndibe, Director-General, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria.
Others are: Chief Cajetan Agu, Director, Consumer Affairs, Nigerian Shippers’ Council; Mr. Chris Aligbe, CEO, Belujane Konzult; Captain John Ojikutu, Chief Executive of Centurion Security & Secretary General, Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI); Engr. Sambo Muazu, General Manager, Lagos Area Office, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA)
Princess Vicky Haastrup, Executive Vice Chairman, ENL Consortium; Prince Olayiwola Shittu, Former President, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Mrs. Folake Soji-George, Co-Director, Al-Hadiat Nigeria Limited; Dr. Obiora Madu, Director-General, African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC); Mr. Charles Akhigbe, Chairman, Implementation Committee for Edo Inland Container Depot and Mr. Muda Yusuf, Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
The forum will also feature the awards for winners of the 2018 Quarterly Transport Agency Performance Rating. The winners emerged after a thorough rating of the performances of all transport sector agencies and institutions with regards to their core functions in 2018 to ascertain the Most Purposeful Transport Agency of the Year 2018. This rating was carried out quarterly in 2018 and conducted by Kings Communications Limited.
Justifying the need for the Lecture at this time of the industry history, the leader of the organizing team, Mrs. Ifeoma Iloh, said, “The leadership of maritime industry and the transport sector agencies have not paid optimum attention to addressing the core functions of the organizations”
She stressed that the event which would witness a robust discourse on the place of digitalization and connectivity across all modes of transport in the country, would spur purposeful leadership across the transport sector and lead to immense benefits of transportation to the nation’s economy.
According to her, the lecture seeks to address the leadership content of the problems, which is the key to other problems.
“Simply put, the character or leadership qualities of a leader to a large extent determine the direction of an agency. We are calling on Nigerians and transport sector operators in particular to join the campaign for good leadership in the sector, especially against the prevailing practice of having square pegs on round roles with the concomitant consequences of vision derailment, looting of funds, human and material resources under-utilization, among others” she said.
It is expected that the outcome of the brain-storming sessions at the event would be a compass for the government’s future leadership choices in the industry and the expectations of the leaders as well as how the people can hold them accountable by measuring their performances with the actual functions of their organizations.
