Following the approval of Dr. Bashir Jamoh as Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) by President Muhammadu Buhari, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said his appointment was based on competence and not nepotism as being alleged in some quarters.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena in a statement on Friday faulted the notion that the head of NIMASA must come from a particular section of the country.
“NIMASA is not the birthright of any state or geopolitical zone. In fact, a rundown of the heads of the maritime regulator shows that from inception when NIMASA was formerly the National Maritime Authority NMA, heads of the organization were appointed from different parts of the country. Dr. Bassey U. Ekong was the Director-General in 1988. Alhaji Munir Jafar was replaced by Buba Galadima, who was NMA DG from 1996 to 1998. He was succeeded by John Egesi. Dr. George Mbanefo Eneh was appointed Director-General and was followed after a year by Architect Ferdinand Agu.
“Thereafter, Engineer Festus Ugwu was appointed and was followed by Mrs. Mfon Usoro. She was succeeded by Dr Shamsideen Adegboyega Dosunmu. He was followed by Temisan Omatseye. In December 2010, Zaikede Patrick Akpobolokemi was appointed DG/CEO NIMASA. He was succeeded by Dr Dakuku Adolphus Peterside. Recently, President Buhari approved the appointment of Bashir Jamoh as the Agency’s Director General”, Nabena explained.
The Bayelsa-born APC chieftain thanked President Buhari for appointing an experienced bureaucrat with a vast knowledge of the maritime sector.
“We can all see the achievements of the president in the transport sector. Jamoh’s appointment further demonstrates the government’s commitment to revamping the sector. Besides, Jamoh’s competence is not in doubt. With 32 years of professional experience in the transportation and maritime sector, he is currently the Executive Director for Administration and Finance at NIMASA. He is also the current president of the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA).
“He is an experienced bureaucrat who holds a PhD specialising in logistics and transport management, Master’s Degree in management from Korea Maritime and Ocean University and author of the book, Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Assets: Past, Present and Future. We should support any Nigerian with such wealth of experience to further reposition NIMASA after the efforts of the outgoing DG, Dakuku Peterside,” Nabena said.
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