Bola Tinubu has appointed two new chief executive officers to the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
In accordance with the suggestions of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, Tinubu approved the appointment of Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji as the managing director and CEO of NIWA and Akutah Pius Ukeyima as the executive secretary and CEO of NSC, according to a statement made by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale.
According to the release, Tinubu assigned the new appointments to diligently carry out the minister’s policies and programmes in an effort to quickly and effectively achieve increased revenues and investments as part of the Blue Economy strategy of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Before joining the government service, Oyebamiji, an economist, had over 28 years of experience in the business world.
He stopped Osun State Investment Company Limited’s decline while serving as the state’s commissioner of finance for eight years in the past.
Ukeyima is an attorney who graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria with a master’s degree in public international law. His most recent position was as the head of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation’s Central Authority Unit, International Cooperation in Criminal Matters.
Less than a week has passed since Emmanuel-Lyambee Jime concluded his two mandates as the NSC’s executive secretary and CEO.
Jime was nominated by former President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2021 and had been in charge of a number of projects aimed at enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of Nigeria’s maritime sector, including the creation of the Port Service Support Portal (PSSP), the application of the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM), and the facilitation of rail-based cargo evacuation.
Nonetheless, Jime had encountered certain difficulties while in office, including the protracted disagreement with terminal operators on port fees, the hold-up in the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) Bill’s enactment, and the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on port operations.
Under the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the NSC is a parastatal that oversees and supports the operations of shipping firms, operators of seaport terminals, cargo owners, freight forwarders, and other parties involved in Nigeria’s maritime industry.
Under the same ministry, another parastatal, NIWA, is in charge of developing and managing Nigeria’s inland waterways resources for power generation, navigation, irrigation, and flood control. In addition, it manages ferry services across Nigeria’s principal rivers and lakes and grants licences and permits for the use of interior waterways.