The Minister of Marine and Blue
Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Wednesday, directed heads of government
agencies under his ministry to work assiduously to 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 Ahmed Tinubu to
Ministers to "unfailingly demonstrate innovative thinking and an
unrelenting focus on results," the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was
set 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
provided the space to evaluate, prioritise, and forge practical resolutions for
improvement, will help cascade the signed bond to 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 regards to the ecosystem.
"The Ministry’s Vision is to
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," Oyetola 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 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."
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