Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, and a former Director-General of the agency, Dr. Ade Dosunmu have both condoled with the family of Architect Ferdinand Agu – a former Director General of the defunct National Maritime Authority (NMA), who died after suffering a heart attack on Friday.
“I didn’t even know what to say and how to react to the painful and untimely passing of a friend, a brother, a technocrat, a leader and a pan-Nigerian in the person of Arc. Ferdinand Agu. It was too shocking for me given the fact that he was full of life just a month ago when we met at the NIMASA programme to usher in Dr Dayo Mobereola in Eko Hotel. We sat together exchanging views about our country and the state of the maritime industry. After the programme, he invited Omatseye and myself to his room at the Signature to discuss issues of concern to former DGs. We had extensive discussions on how we can always avail NIMASA management with the benefit of our experience whenever called upon. We also discussed the welfare of former DGs vis -a- vis what obtains in other grade ‘A’ MDAs.
“He provided leadership and further earned my admiration the way he conducted the meeting. I was assigned to follow up our resolutions with the current management and he said if I needed his support I should not hesitate to let him know.
“We left and he saw us to the ground floor. An amazing personality, down to earth and always ready to profer solution to problems. I did not know that would be the last time I will be seeing Ferdinand.
“We built a very friendly relationship. He always called me Ade and I called him DG Emeritus. Such was our relationship. May God in His infinite mercy accept his gentle soul and grant his family and all of us the fortitude to bear this huge loss. Adieu, Ferdinand Agu,” Dr. Dosunmu said in his reaction to Agu’s death.
In his reaction, the current Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola said Agu’s death is a significant loss to Nigeria and the maritime community.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Arc. Ferdinand Agu, a former Director General of NMA. He left an indelible impression on me within the short time we shared during my first stakeholder engagement just last month. I had hoped to engage him more often, to tap into his wealth of experience for the collective interest of every Nigerian. Alas, death has denied us this privilege. Agu’s legacy of dedication and excellence will continue to inspire us all. We will miss his wisdom, kindness, and unwavering dedication to improving our maritime industry. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace,” Mobereola stated.
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