….. ‘Performance is not longer an option but culture.”…..Akutah
In a bold step towards achieving and complying with the Federal Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy performance bond and goals of the Council, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on Wednesday, commenced the 2025 Special Management Retreat for its 5-year activities held at Victoria Island, Lagos
The theme for this year’s retreat was ” Achieving Strategic Intents Through Performance Lens. ” scheduled between 23rd – 24th July, 2025
In his keynote address, the Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Akutah Pius Ukeyima, Esq, MON, FCILT, Ph.D, stated the importance of the Council’s roles to the Federal Government’s emerging Blue Economy agenda.
Akutah, urged staff to energize more commitment toward achieving success devoids of bureaucratic bottleneck and strive to measure success through tangible outcomes that align with the Marine & Blue Economy National Development Policy.
He further tasked all departments and Independent Units in the Council to ensure their annual work plans strictly conforms with the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy. It is now mandatory for all the development & Independent Units to submit their quarterly reports directly to his office for review and onward submission to the Ministry.
He also emphasized on efficiency, integrity, accountability, and innovation for a more prosperous maritime industry in the Country.
The ES/CEO further stressed that his agency is fully ready for its Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system by December 2025, with a strict deadline for all internal communication (memo, reports, approvals, etc) to be done online. and all Departments and Independent Units are strongly advised to comply, as any deviation will attract administrative sanctions.
He further unveiled a five-year strategic plan, which include: Facilitating Trade, Improving Port Efficiency; Strengthening Inter-Agency collaboration, accelerating Port infrastructure; enhancing stakeholders’ confidence and embedding sustainability throughout logistics.
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He called for an urgent need to address port inefficiencies, reduce cargo dwell times and vessel turnaround to conform with the regional standards, adding that the Council will collaborate with the Customs toward launching an integrated dashboard aimed at facilitating real-time monitoring of port metrics and form part of monthly performance review.
According to him, the Council will introduce an induction process for new hires and launch a leadership innovation development series for senior officers beginning in Q3 2025.
On stakeholders’ relations, Akutah noted that Units responsible for public relations, consumer affairs, and strategic planning must institutionalize stakeholder forums, regular newsletters, and a formal complaints tracker.
He mentioned some key infrastructure projects, namely; the Jos Inland Dry Port situated in Plateau State, Gateway Inland Dry Port (Ogun State), Dala Inland Dry Port Kano State) and Potiskum Vehicles Transit Area, VTA (Yobe State), which have been tasked with moving beyond paperwork into tangible execution. Progress on these, will be monitored through bi-weekly reports, with a personal commitment from the ES/CEO to oversee timelines and budgets.
He also emphasized HIS confidence in the Council’s leadership and staff, stating, “performance is not an option. It is the new culture.”
He expressed appreciation to the President, Bola Tinubu, GCFR, AND Hon. Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, for their visionary guidance, calling on all NSC staff to act in line with the reforms and return from the retreat equipped with development plan and a renewed zeal for success for the Industry.
Speaking earlier, Director, Strategic Planning and Research Department, of the Council, Rotimi Anifowoshe affirmed that the event marked a major milestone as stakeholders gathered for the validation of the department’s recently concluded strategic planning session report and the formal signing of a performance bond between the Executive Secretary and Heads of Departments and Units.
