Despite calls by maritime stakeholders for sanity in the industry and appointment of more professionals who have the required knowledge to tackle myriads of challenges facing the sector, President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government appears to be working contrary to expectations of industry watchers as it continues to compromise standards with the appointment of unfit individuals.
Many were expectant of seeing an insider, a tested and well groomed hand taking over from the vintage and performing , but retiring Barr. Hassan Bello, who has in the last eight years transformed the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) into a power house of maritime stakeholders problem solving agency.
At the retirement of Hassan Bello, many were optimistic that based on his track record and professional disposition which to a large extent brought confidence of port Industry users to the credibility and prompt reaction to challenges of maritime stakeholders, an insider just like Hassan Bello will takeover to continue the reforms and transformation at the Shippers House keeping its pride as Ports Economic Regulator .
Surprisingly, from the blues, the Federal government brought a core politician, a novice with no experience, Hon. Emanuel Jime, a former House of Representatives member and former Speaker , Benue State House of Assembly to start his schooling and learning process in maritime and ports administration with the NSC.
Without a shadow of doubt, Hon. Emanuel Jime’s political appointment , will have negative impact on the maritime sector,just as many believe no matter the picture or hype projected about his personality, they say, Onions can never be oranges.
Recalled, while explaining the reasons for the appointment of CEOs into maritime agencies at the 2021 World Maritime Day Celebrations in Lagos, precisely in September, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said, his wish was for an insider or a maritime professional to take over from Hassan Bello, at the NSC , but somehow his wish was dashed.
In a bid to justify the appointment of Emmanuel Jime, he said Jime is gentle and does not like trouble just like Hassan Bello. How this will make Jime a good and performing Chief Executive is what industry watchers are waiting to see and judge.
It must be pointed out that, the Federal government has been the greatest culprit in encouraging mediocrity, redundancy and stakeholders crises in the maritime industry.
It has consistently demonstrated this with the appointment of what can be best described as “kindergarten CEOs who come rather to raise the bar, will compound the existing problems suffice to say,you can only give what you have.
From the political calendar, the current NSC, Executive Secretary, has barely 30 months to make his mark before the incoming government in May 2023. What can Emmanuel Jime really do?. Already he has used the last four months, still counting recieving visitors and making promises with no clear cut blue print or working agenda for the NSC.
Meanwhile as he is learning the job, his entitlements, huge expenses and contracts are ongoing. Who then is losing? It is the maritime industry stakeholders and the Nigerian economy and people.
Due to his incompetent and lack of knowledge in the Industry, the NSC, Nigeria’s port economic regulator under Jime’s watch has been slammed for aiding the excesses of foreign shipping lines operating in Nigerian ports. Recall that there have been perennial squabble between freight forwarders and shipping lines over failure of the former to refund container deposits paid to them.
Freight forwarders have blamed the cause of inability to return empty container to the shipping lines on the failure to acquire holding bays where empties are supposed to be dropped.
Speaking recently on behalf of the five registered associations under the Elders forum of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Kayode Farinto, National Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) said