Barely 24 hours after engaging stakeholders in Lagos, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Wednesday, November 22, directed heads of government agencies under his ministry to work assiduously and achieve their deliverables as captured in the performance bond signed by him.

The affected agencies include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other agencies under the Ministry of Marine and Blues Economy.

Oyetola said the directive follows the standing instruction given by President Bola Tinubu to ministers to “unfailingly demonstrate innovative thinking and an unrelenting focus on results.”

He said the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was set up to position Nigeria as a premier maritime nation.

He spoke at the maiden edition of the Ministerial retreat, organised for the Ministry and agencies under it, to cascade the directive of Mr President on set targets and goals of the Ministry.

He noted that the execution of the performance bond, in addition to the completion of key projects within the ministry would no doubt position Nigeria as one of the maritime nations in the world.

He noted that the desire to make Nigeria a premier maritime nation would be achieved by utilising the potential of the county’s blue economy to diversify revenue, assure sustainable development, and cultivate environmental stewardship.

The Minister said the retreat provides the space to evaluate, prioritise, and forge practical resolutions for improvement, which will help cascade the signed bond to the Ministry’s Directors and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Ministry’s Agencies.

Oyetola went further to say that the retreat equally provides a platform to relate with sector players with a view to understanding their roles as a key sector within the Nigerian Economy, as well as to brainstorm on strategies needed to achieve its mandate and functions.

He said: “The maritime sector stands as a reservoir of immense potential, not only for economic growth but also for diversifying our revenue source and generating abundant employment opportunities for Nigerians.

“I am convinced we have what it takes to deliver on our Key Performance Indicators. We are, therefore, gathered here to brainstorm on how to deliver on the KPIs. For instance, three months ago, I was told that the Funtua Inland Dry Port was at 80 percent completion stage. Considering that we are expected to deliver this particular project in the first quarter of next year, it would be interesting to hear from the Nigerian Shippers Council how this can be achieved in record time.”

The minister also shared the Ministry’s mandate, vision and mission with workers in the Ministry and staff of agencies within it, noting that it was imperative for them to understand and work towards achieving the goals of the Ministry.

Oyetola said: “Our mandate is to Institutionalise Blue Economy as an important pillar for economic sustenance and growth diversification having due regard to the ecosystem.

“The Ministry’s Vision is to position Nigeria as a premier maritime nation by utilising the potential of its blue economy to diversify revenue, assure sustainable development, and cultivate environmental stewardship.

“While the mission is to formulate and implement policies, programmes, and initiatives that will facilitate the development of an inclusive maritime and blue economy (Ecosystem), driven by an operating environment that meets global best standards.

“We have a solid team of resource persons and facilitators who will demystify the importance of the mandate, vision and mission to develop the goals and road map for the Ministry with a view to achieving the performance bond and other numerous projects, programmes and initiatives that will position Nigeria among the top earning nations in the Marine and Blue Economy Sector.

“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. President wants to see tangible results and our shared responsibility to serve the people and I believe that Mr. President’s expectation from our sector is doable,” he added.

On her part, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani said the retreat was designed to provide a veritable platform for the top management officials of the ministry and its agencies to cross-fertilise ideas on how to galvanise the marine sector to meet the set goals and objectives of the ministry.

“It is worthy to note that the Honourable Minister has signed a Performance bond with Mr President, which will serve as a scorecard for the Ministry. This bond comes with its initiatives, deliverables, Key Performance Indicators, timelines, and target, which the sector must unconditionally achieve,” she said. (The Nation)

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