Chairman of the Seaport Terminal Operators’ Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess (Dr.) Vicky Haastrup, has been honoured by the Women in Logistics and Transport (WILAT) – an association made up of professional women operating in aviation, marine, rail and road transportation.
Haastrup, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of ENL Consortium, was honoured for her role in the success of the ports reform in Nigeria; her doggedness in spearheading the elimination of touts and miscreants, popularly known as wharf rats from the ports; and for successfully leading the body of concessionaires in Nigeria in addition to her promotion of gender rights in Nigeria.
Haastrup was honoured alongside Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina; Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar; Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah; former Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Special Duties and member of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Board, Mrs. Florence Ita-Giwa; and former Minister of Transport, and Aviation, respectively, and current Women Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Kema Chikwe, among others.
“Princess Haastrup is also a strong advocate for women’s right in a male-dominated industry. She stays strong even when trying to rescue a sinking ship that may be at odds with her best personal interests. As Chairman of the Seaport Terminal Operators’ Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Haastrup has proven that surely what a man can do, a woman can do better,” Chairperson of WILAT-Nigeria, Hajiya Aisha Ali-Ibrahim, stated.
Ali-Ibrahim said that the maiden edition of the WILAT Day and Awards was set aside to honour female achievers in the transport and logistics sector, as well as men who have also supported the aspirations of WILAT.
She said that WILAT, which is the women wing of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), will regularly organise programmes that will assist in mentoring young female practitioners in the sector.
In her speech during the event, the WILAT-Nigeria Chairperson stated: “Logistics and transportation focus on several benefits inherent to the various forms of transportation such as railways, metros, ships, ports, buses, trolleys, rickshaws or trucks while logistics is having the right type of products or services at the right place, at the right time, for the right price and in the right condition. Women have played important roles in all of these and that is why we are celebration their contributions and achievements here today.”
The highpoint of the WILAT Day celebration was the launch of the WILAT Journal.
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