By AISHA COLE

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has reiterated that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch.

This is contained in a statement by the General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications of NPA, Mr Ikechukwu Onyemekara, made available to newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday.

Dantsoho said this after receiving commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASGOC), for clearing the age-long problem of employee stagnation.

He explained that talent development constituted a critical success factor for the actualisation of the audacious goals they had set for themselves, especially in the area of port competitiveness.

“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boost their morale.”

“I will like to commend the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that have fuelled industrial disharmony.

“I must specially appreciate our amiable minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly,”Dantsoho said.

Dantsoho also said that ports infrastructure and equipment modernisation drive would go hand in hand with continuous staff welfare improvement.

Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President of SSASCGOC, Comrade Akinola Bodunde, said, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, while appreciating NPA’s management for increasing productivity bonuses, we also thank the ports management for providing end-of-year welfare packages for staff.

“We appreciate the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.” (NAN)