By Victor Ahiuma-Young

STAKEHOLDERS in the Maritime Industry have faulted the recent appointments of the managing director and three executive directors by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the appointments were politically motivated and not in the interest of the industry.

The stakeholders including workers, importers, clearing agents and others under the aegis of Maritime Watchdog, warned that the appointment would do more harm to NPA’s ability to perform its role as the gateway to the nation’s economy.

Recall President Buhari last week appointed Ms as managing director of NPA, as Muhammed Bello-Koko, executive director, ED, Finance and Administration, Professor Idris Abubakar, ED, Engineering, Dr. Sekonte Davies, ED, Marine Operation.

Maritime Watchdog, in a statement, insisted that the appointments were based on everything, but competence, saying “we would not fight tribe as regards to appointment, we would fight incompetence, and our contention here is that the new appointments in the NPA are not based on competence but on an unknown presidency’s private agenda.”

According to the statement: “Maritime Watchdog understands that the position of the managing director of the NPA may be a political appointment, but such political appointment should be done with a kind of savvy that would put the right people in the right places, not for political settlements; because when that is done, the result is more corruption as lack of industry knowledge would lead to more blunders in policy implementation, bureaucratic processes, systemic corruption, decayed industry and sharp practices that would never move the industry or the country forward. As an organization, we question the experience of Ms Hadiza Usman to be the managing director of the NPA as a major parastatal of government. We would like the government of Nigeria to justify the appointment of Ms Hadiza.

“The same challenge goes to the other three EDs; Muhammed Bello-Koko, ED F&A, Professor Idris Abubakar, ED Engineering, Dr. Sekonte Davies, ED M&O, as we question their experience to lead the NPA in the various capacities that they have been appointed. As an organization, we at Maritime Watchdog Nigeria would keep on asking these questions until we get answers. At this point, we can see how the perpetration of acts like operation of illegal jetties can successfully go on in the country and nothing would be done about it.”

The operation of the NPA like a government inside a government would successfully continue for years with humongous loss of revenue to the government and people of Nigeria and our beloved government would do nothing about it. We conclude this public notice by saying that Nigerians daily continue to see the magnanimous change that they voted for, and we in the marine industry have been at the receiving end of this change like every other Nigerian. Our dock workers and on board security men have been sacked, we have continuously raised alarm on the operation of illegal and private jetties by corporations and individuals who have assumed the status of demigods and nothing has been done about it by the government. The same government has gone on to appoint outsiders to run a technical parastatal like the NPA because she wants to look good. Let it be known that there is no result that would arise from doing the right thing in a wrong way.”