The trajectory of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has always been in the news for negative reasons. For instance, among its past Directors-General, we
have those who have faced corruption charges in the law courts.
But the new helmsman, Anthony Ekundayo Mobereola, has a high reputation for integrity, performance, and delivery on
expectations.
He has renewed hope amongst the maritime stakeholders that the organisations ship will be redirected along the right path.
People who have interfaced with Mobereola have spoken glowingly about his high value for
professionalism, vision, patience, and a striking resemblance to public etiquette in whatever he
does. His maiden interactive session with Maritime stakeholders which was held on Thursday
was a testament to how highly rated he is in the industry and shows that expectations are a mouth
full. He is perceived as a man with the Midas touch under whom substantial transformation of
the sector is anticipated.
As a brand, Mobereola is a man of powerful spirituality, absolute purity, and all-round spiritual
flexibility. Even in his alma mater, where he presides over its National Alumni Association, he
has within one year brought a lot of changes to the old students’ body, by inspiring and
mobilizing the Alumni to give back to the alma mater. Ayo Aluko-Olokun, who works closely
with him as the General Secretary of Saint Patrick’s Grammar School, Ibadan Alumni
Association, describes Mobereola as “a visionary leader and team player with a strong sense of
patriotism. He is a leader who takes service to humanity, not as a job but a mission. The
NIMASA DG leads by generously donating and contacting other old students to donate
handsomely to the progress and development of the school and the academic excellence of the
students.”
Social formation teaches that a change in nomenclature will also lead to a change in the status of
any newly established institution, and it is bound to affect everything around it. With this in
mind, one may wish to ask: what’s President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda all about
and how does Mobereola as the new NIMASA DG fit in? To start with, the Agency is very
central to the concept of the blue economy, not only in terms of maritime safety and the
development of an exceptional trade facilitation framework in Nigeria but also in its potential to
help grow the economy and raise the revenue profile of the sector. Mobereola holds a Ph.D. and
a M.Sc. in Transport Economics from the University of Wales, United Kingdom, which makes
him suitable for the job. The Marine and Blue Economy Ministry is a new creation and it is in
the delivery of performance of parastatals like NIMASA and others that the Ministry will be able
to deliver on its mandate and Nigerians would now see the need for the creation of that Ministry.
NIMASA has a task to protect the local shipping industry to generate wealth for Nigeria.
According to Henry Ford, “coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress, and
working together is success.” From what yours sincerely have heard about the new appointments
in NIMASA, Mobereola’s choice is very endearing and it is in the right direction. It is hoped that
he would live up to his billing, with his rich track record.
Born on August 26, 1959, the new DG was the pioneer Managing Director/Chief Executive
Officer of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), where he was popularly
called ‘Dr. MOB’. He led the processes that took the public transport system in Lagos out of its
“dysfunctional and chaotic” state to its present enviable status. Between 2015 and 2016,
Mobereola served as Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos State and was later appointed
the Chairman of The Board at Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL) by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-
led administration. He was the architect of much of what is being celebrated in Lagos today as
the Blue and Red Rail Lines projects.
I have argued elsewhere that in the First Republic, under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, the
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was contributing 42% of its earnings to the coffers of the
Federal Government annually. It’s time we went back to that framework, and NIMASA has a big
role to play in it. It is estimated that the maritime sector can turn about N7 trillion into the
economy annually. NIMASA can achieve this by focusing on its core mandate and not trying to
be everything to everybody. For those who care to know, NIMASA is currently one of the most
important agencies in Nigeria, after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the military. So, its
technical capacity has to be top-notch because it’s the agency that will enable the country to earn
the kind of foreign exchange that the Maritime and Blue Economy will need to solve the balance
of payment and currency crises currently confronting our dear country.
For Tinubu to make this happen, he must make sure that NIMASA is very well-funded and
supported with policies and FEC approvals to drive its transformation and also unbundled the
Maritime fund which is 3% of freight on every cargo. And for Mobereola to succeed, the
strategic option is to remain the patriot that he has always been – an exceptional manager who
has the technical capacity, intellectual nourishment, and strategic opportunity to run an Agency
as complex in shape and size as NIMASA. Not only that, members of staff of the Agency should
be well-remunerated and motivated. He should also introduce data-driven processes and ensure
ease of doing business by the shipping lines. Technology should be deployed to move the sector
forward and faster – and can be first-class, bringing in the foreign exchange that the country
needs to survive. Failure to do these will be catastrophic for the country’s economy because, if
Nigeria doesn’t diversify her economy from crude oil, she is finished! Yes, if Nigeria is to get
her way out of the critical balance of payment crisis, NIMASA should be at the centerpiece as a
formidable front for the maritime base, in agreement with “the policies and programs outlined
for the sector, guided by the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, H.E.
Adegboyega Oyetola.”
A word of advice, though: as Nigerians are expecting an even bigger performance from this man
of wisdom and impressive capacity, let Mobereola make clear the government’s policies and
direction for the sector. An Agenda not politically driven but industry-focused and friendly must
be stated for him to etch his name in gold!
May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!
KOMOLAFE wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebuijesa@yahoo.co.uk)