SPECIAL REPORT: HOW JAMOH’s EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP EARNED NIMASA, BPSR, SILVER AWARD IN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

More facts have emerged how Bashir Jamoh, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Exemplary Leadership and strong desire for optimal performance and reform have taken the maritime regulatory agency to the Bureau of Public Service Reform. Silver award in Corporate governance..

This is evident going by ’’the optimal performance of the agency’s systems and operations, particular, the Deep Blue Project, which had remained strong over the last one year. Described as a born technocrat in maritime circles, stakeholders believe that Jamoh’s contributions to the nation’s maritime industry over the last three years in essential areas of ‘’responsibility, had resulted in an overall quality work that is generally good, with critical Organisational goals.

Arabi Ibrahim, Director General, BPSR , an agency of government saddled with the Implementation and Coordination of its police reforms , established by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Aministration in 2004, may have presented a clincher about NIMASA, under the Leadership of Jamoh, when he said in the summary of its Report on the deployment of the Bureau’s self-Assessment Toll, SAT, presented to the NIMASA Management recently that the Organisation has been classsed as ‘’level 2, with a performance level of 74%, which implies that ‘’its performance meets the expectations of industry stakeholders’’ . Note that SAT, is a practical approach , adopted by the BPSR, to support the Federal government, in its vision’’ to transform the Nigerian public service into a virile , well performing , professional and customer orientated institution.

There is no gain saying the fact that the Bureau has been inactive over the years until President Muhammau Buhari thought it wise to bring it into relevance in 2022, by giving it a marching order to the agency to deploy its’ SAT, in all Federal government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs. Osagie Edward, an Assistant Director, and NIMASA spokesperson,could beat his chest that’’ the agency was one of the few destinations that has accepted to undergo the self-assessment of BPSR.

In taking NIMASA, to the silver class level , the BPSR , Authorities may have looked at its’ implementation of the public financial reform three pillars of the National strategy of Public Service Reform, , NSPR, which core objective is to ensure Professionalism, transparency, efficiency, accountability, and probity in financial management to ensure flawless service delivery.

Informed sources told The Forward News that accurate measurement of responsibilities and performance assigned to the staff were also used as part of the parameters for the evaluation of the agency. Dasuki, the Director General of the BPSR, may have said it all when he declared that the Bureau officials are indeed ‘’impressed by the openness, Professionalism and decorum the staff of the agency had exhibited throughout the duration of the exercise in the agency in 2022.

The BPSR, Director General, may have gladdened the heart of Jamoh, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of NIMASA, when he disclosed that ‘’the openness, Professionalism and decorum exhibited by the staff under his close watch ‘’was an indication that ‘’there are rejuvenated change agents who will help him to accomplish and break new grounds as far as the agency mandate is concerned.

Dasuku, the BPSR , boss, who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares to listen that the key areas of strength of NIMASA, under the Leadership of Jamoh, as contained in its report include ‘’Corporate governance’’, which was said to have ensured the establishment of an anti-Corruption policy with an entrenched whistle -blower– mechanism for the agency, ‘’strategic planning and operational Leadership, robust and accounting policies that comply with Financial Regulations of the government’’.

This is in addition to its fully functional procurement process, which the Bureau officials had said has keyed into the e-procurement policy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration. Based on its findings’ in 2022, ‘’the operational and service delivery process , Human Resources Management , partnership and resource mobilization , remains key performance management ‘ of the agency had resulted in some Departments excelling when compared with some other agencies of the government.

Dasuki, the BPSR helmsman, is optimistic that with the award to NIMASA that has accompanied its report on the agency, it would help ‘’to stimulate the insatiable desires of the agency to be the best ‘’ to achieve safe, secure shipping , cleaner oceans and enhanced maritime capacity in line with best global practices towards Nigerian’s economic development’’.

An appreciative Jamoh, was said to have assured the BPSR helmsman and his team ,that the agency would ensure ‘’the implementation of all the recommendations contained in their report presented to the agency , noting that much progress has been made since 2022, when the SAT was deployed in its operations and service delivery’’.

According to the NIMASA Chief, who had alluded to the agency operations in the past one year, particular, the agency automation process, he had said that ‘’it has advanced much more than the past 12 months’’. He may have disclosed to the admiration of the BPSR, Director General that the agncy has introduced Customer Experience Centre, CEC, which industry stakeholders had said has greatly improved the ease of doing business as an Organisation.

Throwing more light on what the agency has been able to do over the last one year, the NIMASA CEO, had revealed that that ‘’it has acquired new vessels for both staff welfare and operational monitoring and enforcement purposes’’.

Many believe that Jamoh led NIMASA management could do that much because it has accepted the recommendations of the International Maritime Prganisation, IMO, a United Nations, UN , maritime agency, Member State Audit Scheme and has worked towards closing all identified gaps , assuring that that the agency will ‘’strive to implement all the recommendations in BPRS, report on NIMASA.

In 2021, the Burau had recognised the diligence, thoroughness, stkaholder inclusiveness, and superlative outcome that attended the auction of the process towards the deployment of the fifth Geeration , 5G, Nework in Nigeria of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, an agency of the Federal ministry of Commnications and digital economy, and conferred on it an award of Excellence as the best public Regulator of the year.

Recall that in 2022, the BPSR, also ecognised and adjudged Mohammmed Bello-Koko, led Nigerian Ports Authority , NPA, a sister agency to NIMASA, as a level -5 Platinum level Organisation with exceptional performance level in its service delivery and good Corporate performance.

The Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, was said to have been conferred award by the Bureau, by the BPS, for ‘’ranking third place in the government scorecard for Websites of MDAs’’. There are other MDAs that were said to have also been conferred with various categories of award by the Bureau, between 2022 as part of efforts top stimulate their overallCorporate performance.