- Daughter of the recipient, Umma Hani (left), recipient and NIMASA Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, and his wife, Zulai, during Jamoh’s award of the Zik Prize for Leadership in Lagos
From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
For his efforts in repositioning the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) through initiatives that had yielded tremendous positive changes in the maritime sector, the agency’s Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has won the prestigious Zik Leadership Prize in Public Policy for 2020.
Jamoh was conferred with the prize by the Public Policy Research and Analysis Centre (PPRAC) during a colourful ceremony in Lagos.
Thanking the organisers, Jamoh said that he “grew up hearing of and watching the great Zik of Africa on TV. Back in those days in school, we were taught about Zik as one of our founding fathers.
“I could never have imagined that I will be receiving this recognition in his name. To be a recipient of this award is very humbling,” according to a statement from the NIMASA Assistant Director, Public Relations, Osagie Edward.
“I want to especially appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for giving me the opportunity to serve the public, for without that opportunity I don’t think I would have been able to contribute to the extent of being recognised for the Zik Leadership Prize in Public Policy.”
Accompanied by his wife and one of his children, Umma, Jamoh noted that “no success story is ever complete without the home front and the foundation it provides.”
Therefore, he thanked his wife, Zulai, “as the star of our family. She has continued to provide me with all the daily support and encouragement, alongside all our children.”
Under Jamoh, Nigeria’s anti-piracy efforts received global accolades from notable bodies, including the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
He had also received from the Institute of Leadership and Development for the Public Good, Kansas, United States, the Distinguished Merit Award for exemplary leadership achievements in maritime education in Nigeria; and merit award from the Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria, among others.
Chairman of the ceremony, Prof. Anya O. Anya, stated that Jamoh and other awardees emerged after a rigorous and detailed screening process.
On his part, Mac Nwabara of the PPRAC Advisory Board described the awardees as people of character and achievement, who had made humanity and, Nigeria in particular, proud in their different endeavours.
The other recipients at the event included former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nassarawa State, and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari.
