Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has commended the joint activities of the two leading maritime agencies, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), headed by his former Chief of Staff, Hadiza Bala Usman and Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside for their efforts in driving port reforms.
Speaking to media executives in Kaduna, he hailed the due for their sustainable reforms in developing the maritime sector and increasing its contribution to the economy.
El-Rufai said Dakuku’s appointment as Director-General of NIMASA was one of the most skillful and opportune decisions by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in its drive to revolutionise the maritime industry.
According to him, Dakuku had brought his wealth of experience and pragmatism to bear on the maritime sector, occasioning many reforms that have produced significant growth in the industry within a short period.
He said “Dr. Dakuku is a vibrant young man who has brought a lot of reforms to the maritime industry. This is what you get when you appoint young and knowledgeable people and this appointment has brought a lot of gains to this administration.”
El-Rufai averred that with the length of the Nigerian coastline, the country deserved more benefit from maritime, stressing that “I know NIMASA, in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority, headed by my former Chief Of Staff, Hadiza Bala Usman, is doing a lot to decongest the Apapa ports and we are proud of what they are doing so far. But we must also look at ways of building new ports to decongest Apapa.”
The governor had earlier commended the Buhari administration’s first term Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, whom he said had revolutionised the entire transport sector under difficult circumstances.
He said Kaduna State was one of the beneficiaries of Amaechi’s vision, as the Abuja-Kaduna rail line, whose completion the former Rivers State Governor ensured, was now one of the busiest rail lines in the country.
In his further submission, the former Minister of FCT, disclosed that “I do not recall any Minister of Transportation that has achieved as much in so little time, under very difficult circumstances as Hon. Amaechi has done. Kaduna State is one of the beneficiaries of his effort, because the Abuja-Kaduna rail that started more than 10 years ago was completed under his tenure.
