Following the resignation of the former Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi in compliance to the presidential order and the new electoral act requesting all appointed Public Servants who aspired for political positions to resign from their current post and pursue their ambitions squarely, the huge task associated with the Ministry somersaulted upon the shoulders of Gbemisola Saraki Minister of State for Transportation. The positions of the Minister of State in any ministry according to analysts are typically ceremonial and ways of political settlements to those who worked for the candidate and party during electioneering campaign.
Determine to carve a niche for herself and realizing that she now bears the touch felt the necessity to beam it on the various agencies under her control to see things clearly. Although, few years before the departure of the former minister, he had thought it fundamentally essential that her junior be inculcated into the system by handling over the maritime sector to her for direct supervision.
The Minister of State for Transport who was believed as a result of an act of providence has transmuted to Minister of Transport and assumed all duties therein has since shown glimpses of courage and intent to find solutions to the t challenges in the Maritime industry.
Senator Saraki has started on the right part by engaging in an extensive consultations, meeting with critical stakeholders and also touring the ports with the aim of getting first hand information about the true position of things at the Lagos ports of Apapa and Tin-Can. Last week, the Transport Minister engaged stakeholders in search for a better maritime industry.
In the course of her tour to Lagos ports, she saw firsthand the infrastructural decadence in the ports, and concluded that a lot is needed to be done to make the industry more competitive and and compliant to ease of doing business in the country.
Considering the level of decay in the port with the collapsing quay aprons in Tin Can Port and other variables that impinge on trade facilitation, one only hopes that the Minister’s promise to fixing the rail track in two weeks and seeing to the immediate repair of the damaged quay apron are not just political statements or promises, but strong resolve to pragmatically address these challenges.
As we wait to see the fruits of this maiden tour of Lagos ports by the minister of transport in the coming days or weeks one hopes that the whole effort will not be fruitless at the end of the day as was customary for Nigeria officials.
Appointed Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in August in 2019, nothing can really be credited to her as what she has achieved for almost 3 years. Now history beckons on her to write her name in gold and prove her critics wrong. They argued that she was walking freely while Amaechi did all the work. Let’s believe that Senator Gbemisola Saraki will walk her talk.
