- Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Pius Akutah (second left), Director, Human Resources Management, Mrs. Adaku Victoria Okam (left), maritime expert and consultant, Dr. Williams Azuh (third right), Director, Strategic Planning and Research, Mr. Rotimi Anifowoshe (right) and another senior staff at the opening of the three-day retreat for the agency’s middle management staff in Lagos… Friday
By Anthony Nwachukwu
With the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill soon to become law, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Pius Akutah, has urged the agency’s middle management staff to be innovative in driving the agency’s policies to ensure growth and sustainability.
Akutah, who spoke Friday in Lagos at the opening of the NSC three-day retreat for mid-level management staff, with the theme, “Driving the Attainment of the Potentials of the Marine and Blue Economy: Role of the Nigerian Shipper’s Council,” disclosed that the House of Representatives has passed the much-awaited enabling economic regulatory bill.
“Just last week, the House of Representatives passed our bill,” he stated. “That’s a big step in the right direction, and just this last Tuesday, the Senate was poised to pass the bill, so that it prepares for presidential assent.”
He expressed optimism that though work on the supplementary budget truncated the Senate’s progress on the bill before the National Assembly went on recess, “immediately they are back, that bill will be passed.”
Reminding participants that they were moving up the top management ladder, therefore, Akutah enjoined them to use the retreat to build capacity and train for the new roles that the agency has assumed and will continue to assume, stating: “I want to let you know that this level in any organisation is the engine room that drives the policies of the organisation. So are all of you.
“The work you do services the top management, and the top management relies on you to drive policies that are put forward in top management meetings.
“So, your role is very crucial and important to move the agency forward. I want you to continue to play your role in a manner that brings innovations in the roles we are going to play going forward.”
According to him, the NSC is a key factor in moving the Nigerian economy forward through this sector, and when the law becomes operational, giving the agency the capacity to back and bite as economic regulator, the sector will be better, and “we are counting on all of you as the engine room of the agency.”
Akutah assured of a yearly retreat for the grooming of quality human capital and leadership, while urging the participants to roll out their leadership abilities and capacities, because at the end of the retreat, “the quality of the work you do will speak for you.
“So, show yourself in the quality of the work you can do; express yourself in the assignments we are giving to you. Opportunities will be given to you based on the quality of work you can do.”
Addressing the media afterwards, Akutah said the collective support from the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, the National Assembly and everyone else showed that the industry was getting ready for the new changes that will reposition it to take advantage of what will happen to the economy through the sector and the agency.
“It is a role that we have played over the years, but it is just to strengthen the council in such a way that it will now have a legal framework to work with, and to provide the regulatory framework that the sector needs to be able to move forward,” he told the media afterwards.
“Our target ultimately is to see how, through regulation, we can achieve port efficiency and see that the economy is booming from this sector. This sector, if optimally utilised, can adequately add to the national GDP.”
Earlier, the Director of Human Resources Management, Mrs. Adaku Okam, stated that the theme of the retreat was proof that “the future of the business of the council rests squarely on the shoulders of the middle management officers.”
Emphasising that the agency “cannot survive without this level of officers,” she urged them to always remember that as long as they serve within this level, they “remain the vital blood vessels of the council. The target you set determines the direction of the growth of the council.
“The consultant has set a number of targets during this three-day retreat to drive discussions around the sustainability of the council. We will require in-depth and innovative reflections, especially as the council looks forward to its growth and transformation to a commission.
“I believe we are thinking and dreaming about a bigger Nigerian Shippers’ Council and about the future we want. Therefore, pray that we remain committed and steadfast, so that our contributions will be free-flowing, inspiring and innovative.
“It is only by doing so that we can meaningfully confront any challenges that our organisation is facing, or may face as we march forward together.
“It is my expectation that at the end of this retreat, we will come out with concrete working recommendations that will enhance our working methods and bring positive impacts to the council.”
