In a space of about twenty years, five people from Kano state have emerged as the Managing Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) though with some Southerners in-between the period. This does not take anything from the efficiency achieved during the time of these leaders who all carved a niche for themselves during their separate times as heads.
Right from the time of Alhaji Wali Ahmed, Arc. Aminu Dabo, Adebayo Sarumi, Mohammed Abdullahi, Engr. Omar Suleiman, Mallam Habib Abdullahi to the present MD, Sanusi LamidoAdo Bayero, it is discovered that five out of the seven MDs that emerged during the period are northerners and the few southerners can be said to be by accident.
Can it then be said that the headship of NPA is an exclusive reserve of the people from that part of the country? They must have been a set very intelligent people to have succeeded in being the best choice of the government to oversee the affairs of the Authority from time to time.
However, some of them did very well not because they were too familiar with the terrain before they came in but because they took the pain to ask questions from their predecessors as well as having a good relationship with the staff and by extension, the press.
Arc. Aminu Dabo did well because he was diligent enough to take lecture from Alhaji Wali Ahmed who told him never to joke with the press no matter how small and he took to it. That was the joker that gave him the success he recorded during his time.
Mallam Habib Abdullahi had an initial hiccup with the press because of his leadership style, but he later re-traced his steps and got it right.
He brought in some restructuring during his time which includes the Electronic Ship Entry Notice (E-SEN), Electronic Payment system (E-Payment) among other welfare packages for the workers.
The incoming MD even though is a green horn, is expected to achieve a lot but not without the help of the people around him. It is a known fact that for anyone to actually record a substantial success in life, he or she needs to fraternize with the people around him.
This means that the new MD should not despise any staff no matter the level or rank, everyone is useful in achieving desired success in any work place. A gate man in an office could give vital information that will generate a life-long turn-around for any chief executive who knows how to play his game.
If the new MD will actually excel at his new assignment, he should avoid booby traps, he should work hard with the management team, get close to the staff and not being bossy so that he will not be boxed out of office when he least expects.
His disposition towards the press will determine to a large extent, the level of success or otherwise he will achieve because they are the ones that will help give directions on what is expected to be done.
Ado Bayero being a lawyer and having worked in places is expected to bring his experiences in several places to bare but the contention is that he had not worked in the port environment unlike his predecessor, who started his career in NPA as an Assistant General Manager before he rose to the peak.
In a nutshell, this means that Ado Bayero needs a lot to learn to be able to excel in his new office. This he should do with a lot of humility so that he can get it right within a short time because he will not be there forever.
More importantly, the new MD should be advised not to go too close to water in case he is visiting one of the ports especially if he has water phobia. We all know that Kano is a desert; it does not have rivers around where one would have thought that you had learnt swimming before now. Na joke sha o.
