Encomium
Institutional knowledge and memory count for organisations. As the saying goes, ‘experience is the best teacher’. How more lucky could the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have been than to have the calibre of Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh as its Director General. Jamoh rose through the ranks at NIMASA to become the DG and therefore rightly knows where the shoe pinches. He continues to breathe a new life into the Nigerian maritime regulatory agency.
As a corps member who recently completed her compulsory one year NYSC programme at the Abuja Zonal Office of NIMASA, I have seen and heard about the reforms and progress ongoing at the organisation since the coming of Dr. Jamoh. I learnt that at no point in the trajectory of the organisation has an insider got elevated to that enviable status. Dr. Jamoh is first and really, he has not disappointed, going by the verifiable feats he is recording.
I am an avid reader of The Voyage, a monthly publication of NIMASA, and I can testify to the very interesting testimonies many staff members have to say about the NIMASA boss since his emergence in March 2020, barely six month after I was posted to the public organisation for my youth service. I should also add that I follow his Wednesdays weekly publication on The Guardian as well as his NIMASA This Week. His presentations and writings show a man that clearly understands the job.
You will agree with me, dear readers, that in any organisation, staff welfare is key. The human element has significant effect on the organisation and every measure must be taken to cater for their needs. Dr. Jamoh makes staff welfare a cardinal focus of his administration. He ensures the prompt payment of salaries and entitlements; provides enabling, conducive environment for staff. This has no doubt led to increased productivity.
Another laudable effort he has made was to ensure the promotion of staff who have remained stagnant in a cadre at the organisation. On health, his interest in the safety and wellbeing of this staff is paramount. He’s upgrading the hospital retainership in order to improve the quality of healthcare among his staff.
In fact, corps members are not given different treatment in the organisation. We are treated like the core staff. The tea corner is open to us and we are provided relevant training to equip us for present operations and the future. Generally, we are given all the necessary support needed and I can say without mincing words, NIMASA is a safe haven for corps members to work. No thanks to the Coordinator Abuja zonal office, Mr. Zailani Attah.
I could remember how the staff of Abuja Zonal Office, where I did my primary assignment supported me financially to travel home for my convocation at the University of Lagos. It was such a kind gesture I will never forget so soon, because I had given up on attending, even though I got permission to travel from NYSC. I am very grateful. The DD AHR, Jacintha K. Ukeh, who coordinated the fund with the head of my department, AD Cabotage, Mrs. Maijidda Ibrahim Yakasai, said, “you graduated with a 1st class and you don’t want to attend because of finance? We would assist you”, and they actually did and the rest, like they say is history. I am very grateful.
Moving to the core of his role at the agency, Dr. Jamoh’s policies have repositioned NIMASA, changed the narrative and brought massive gains to the nation’s economic diversification goals. For instance, one persisting problem that faces the maritime industry is that of piracy. According to the DG in a recent story published in the media, the sum of $783 million has been lost to piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Therefore, Dr. Jamoh’s unprecedented push for a domestic law to sue pirates in Nigeria is commendable. It has visibly led to the decline of sea piracy in Nigeria by 80 per cent. The last time the country had a drop in piracy attack in the nation’s waterways was in 1994, with the Nigerian waterways being one of the top 10 safest waters in the world. Dr Jamoh has returned that glorious era. According to him, his mission is to return Nigeria to Category C membership of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
It is therefore no doubt that he won the 2020 Zik Prize in Public Policy. Chairman, Selection Committee Zik Prize 2020, Prof. Pat Utomi attributed Jamoh’s victory to his ability to extensively manage the restructuring, reformation and repositioning of NIMASA, especially with his Deep Blue Project and the Blue Economy Initiatives which have strengthened the security of our waterways and enhanced pollution management.
Under his reign, NIMASA has engaged in several interventions as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), especially in education which have earned him applause from various sub-national governments and education stakeholders.
Jamoh has a PhD in Logistics and Transport Management. He earned a Masters Degree in Management at the prestigious Korea Maritime and Ocean University. He came well prepared for the job and is a perfect fit.
Although I might have completed my National Youth Service in October 2021, having a one-on-one session with the DG against the background of the good testimonies I hear and the feats I see of him was my unfulfilled dream as a corps member. I hope to get that opportunity sooner or later. I pray the Almighty to continue to strengthen him and see him through this great national assignment. Amin
– Labeebah Damilola Dhikrullah, FC/20B/0245
