By Morenike Taire

At 60, her life revolves around family: her son, her two  grandbabies, her 92-year-old mother, and so on. It is therefore easy to forget that as a career woman, Aina Elizabeth Egharevba is as ‘tough’ as they come.  Rising through the ranks to become the first and only female executive director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) since its inception in 1955, Egharevba grew up in a family with five girls- of which she was Daddy’s little girl. Prior to that she was Executive Director, Marine and Operations of NPA in November 2007, a position she held till December 2011; and played an active role in the actualisation of the Federal Government’s port reform programme of 2006.

Now retired, the English and Literature graduate of the University of Benin and Fellow of the Nautical Institute of Technology (amongst others), who started as an educationist; continues to pursue her passions which include work, women and community service. She chats with WO.

WHEN I go to a port I get overwhelmed so I cannot imagine a woman feeling at home there. How did you cope?

Elizabeth Egharevba

I started my career in the Nigerian Ports Authority in 1983 in Warri as a Personnel Officer. Initially I had to come to Lagos for interview and my younger sister and I went to Marina for the interview. I looked at the tall building and said “wow, have you had any female MD?” They said no. I said, “I will be the first”.

I just said it but I think now that it was prophetic because it guided my path. I had lots of challenges and had to stomach a lot of things. It got to a point when I had a boss who was very overbearing, who used to say thngws like:  “you should tie wrapper, you should not wear miniskirt…”

A man, no doubt?

Yes. I said look, I am not in a uniform department. When I applied they did not give me any code of dressing. But another colleague of his told me, “is it because of him you want to leave the organization?  He loves your legs”. I used to like very short skirts and stilettos.

Female graduates

When I joined Nigerian Ports Authority we were just three female graduates and I was the youngest of them so I had so much attention- some I liked, some I didn’t like and so I grew a hard back. I don’t want to use that word ‘victimization’; I would rather use ‘challenges’.

I have passion for whatever I do and try to give the thing my best. Several times when I was assistant Traffic Manager I slept in the port because I had deportees to handle. I couldn’t leave them; the agency responsible for their welfare hardly brought any food. I had to buy foodstuff and all that. There was one who gave birth in the ship and she just went ‘off’. We had to chain her to be able to take her to the hospital.

I didn’t have the full cooperation of my bosses so to prove my worth I went the extra mile. Even when I was Executive Director, Marines & Operations- that is the core business of NPA; I was the only female. In Yoruba they call it Okanlawon. The MD was friendly, other colleagues were friendly but they retired to the mosque and maybe after some meetings they retired to discuss further. I know I brought in  a lot of innovation. I remember when I was manager of RORO port in 2005 thereabouts.

When I got in there- I’m sure you would have heard of stolen vehicles and all. Each hub had it’s own police station with a Divisional Police Officer and the Nigerian Ports had it’s own security department so you would expect full security. I discovered that I was not getting the best result. The choice of cars stolen by these robbers were cars from America- very new.

One particular day they had just brought in  another DPO. About midnight he called me: “Madam, I am outside the car park. They have over 13 robbers inside the car park. They have been there for two hours and my men are not opening the gate. They saw their boss and they didn’t open.

I called the private security personnel. I told my son I was going to the port.

At 1am?

Yes. My son said no. I went and immediately they saw me they said, “Madam is here”, and they opened the gate.  They had no choice. I used to tell them at home, the moment I leave the gate to go to work nobody should call me. I don’t want to know what is happening. They now tell me that when I am home I receive calls from work (laughs)

That’s good. What is your response to that?

My mum called me some 10 years back and I told her I was in a meeting… “later”. By the time I finished the meeting she stopped talking. Something was wrong with her and she wanted to tell me. She didn’t talk about it so now, whatever I am doing- except I am in church- I listen to her.

If you were to advise government parastatals on how to use human resources with particular focus on women, what would you say?

A stop shop that we had worked on before I left is a window for trading generally in Nigeria. You can call it a one-stop shop. The nation should have a site like other countries where you are seated, do all the transactions, pay, clear and you are seated.

Computerized?

It’s a platform that must accommodate all the agencies in the trading process- NAFDAC, NPA, terminal operators, the banks, customs, everybody. It is a system that those that are not ready can click on whenever they are ready.

Multiple agencies in the port

The prayer was let it start with the maritime industry because we identify the trouble of the multiple agencies in the port, long hours of clearing, the problems and challenges of clearing. Government has been shouting 48 hours. This is even better than 48hours delivery.

In Nigeria once you can eliminate physical contact it reduces the time of the process; it reduces the corruption.

So, what happened to it?

We pushed it to NEC  at that time, 2010, and that was it.

You mean such a platform has just been pushed aside?

It was an inter-ministerial committee established by the then minister of Transport, honourable Biu. He believed in it so much. All the relevant government agencies were part of the committee. It was presented to NEC headed by Aganga and that was the end.

What happened?

The next thing we heard was that the contract had been awarded at a fee much higher than what we asked for to a company we did not know about. The then National Assembly invited the minister to defend the project because they faulted it. Not the content but the contract award process so the young men that came up as the contractors could not defend the project. Aganga had just left and Okonjo Iwealla had just taken over so she just called it off.

If you go to customs they will tell you they have a one-stop shop. I don’t want to doubt it, I am not in customs, but what we are saying is a trading system for the country.

Or perhaps the fear is that people might lose their jobs

Nobody will lose their jobs. What we stand to gain is this: every agency takes administrative fees. You pay 5,000 here and there; at the end of the day if you are clearing one container administrative fee will be up to a hundred thousand. What we are saying is, when it’s a one-stop shop you pay administrative fee of 5,000. They don’t need to see the customer. You submit your paper to the first desk until it reaches the end, and you just go and pick up your cargo. If there is an issue a query will be sent to your mail.

Will there be a similar initiative for exports?

It will be both import and export. The total trading process.

I see that helping women a lot because the reason they do not like getting involved with international trade is because of all the hassles so they leave it to the men.

Yes. There are fewer women in the freight-forwarding business. In the last ten years a lot of them have come up but you can’t compare the number. I know that once sanity comes into the system there will be a lot of women. With the downturn a lot of them have to come up but it should not be something they are forced into because of the economic situation.

So, 60 years and you still look like this. What is the secret?

The grace of God. I try as much as possible to live a healthy lifestyle. I don’t keep malice- no bitterness, because these things affect one unknowingly. I look for the best in people. I have my own fault anyway. Once a while I get naughty and indulge in unhealthy eating so I trade in. I pay my tithes to God and I also take aloe-vera gel.

I drink plenty of water to the extent that a doctor had told me in London that I should watch the quantity of water I consume. When they had the ebola thing and they started taking temperature at the airport they looked at me strangely because my temperature was 35.5. When I got to the other side, the same thing so I had to ask the doctor, he said I was well hydrated so I take that as a plus.

I was born very slim- the only slim person in the family when we were growing. When I was in my 30s, 40s I added weight to the extent that I got to 90kg. I had a problem with my neck from an accident. When I got to London the doctor just said “lose 30kg”. No tablet was given to me. I maintained that, not necessarily by choice. Each time I add weight, I feel it on my back.

How is retirement?

I retired in December 2011 and started my own maritime consulting concern. My son is a director. I started effectively in May 2012 consulting for Ondo State which is why I am hardly in Lagos except my grandchildren are around.

Will you introduce the e-platform there or even in Onne and Calabar?

No. seaports alone cannot start it because you have to incorporate other agencies and parastatals. You have to incorporate the banks, customs, and with due respect to customs, there has not been any significant reforms.

But the customs are claiming reforms…

That is what I am saying. But that will not stop the introduction of this thing.

Is your father still alive?

He died. Honestly he was my ideal man. A lot of people ask me, “are you married?” I say yes. I decided to keep that name because of the meaning. It means Unstoppable. When I was going to work in NPA my dad took me there, made sure he handed me over to my boss. Even when I was going for youth service. I enjoyed my stay in UNIBEN. He used to bring food for me.

Were the other children not jealous? They were not. My father had no dull moment. He could be sitting on the dining table, behind is the cabinet. He wants something and I could be outside. He would call. Even those closer would call me. They knew I was always there for him- obedient, quiet. Even when he was advised not take alcohol if I went to his room and saw alcohol I just talked to him but the others would go and report to my mum.

Do you have any political affiliations and ambitions?

None whatsoever. I am a career woman. I love to knit, I love to cook even though I have a cook. I am very homely. If I had the option of going out and staying home, I would stay home.