Following Federal Government’s decision to put Mr. Mohammed Koko in charge of the Affairs at Nigerian Ports Authority, otherwise known as NPA, the onus is on the Usman Danfodio University Graduate to endear himself to the heart of every stakeholder in the maritime sector, by duly exhibiting his duties to the letter.
“To whom much is given, much is expected”, so Koko has a lot on his table, as he steers the ship of NPA in an acting capacity. This time, he needs to ensure the ship does not capsize in the deep murky waters of debts.
Beyond ensuring he does not fall out of favour with Mr. President or the powers that be in Aso-Rock, Koko has to extinguish the bugs of corruption biting the fabrics of the Agency, in earnest.
Some reports have suggested that an administrative probe panel, headed by Director of Maritime at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, may expand the scope of its probe in accordance with the presidential approval to audit the accounts of NPA.
Truth be told, the issue of NPA has been a major area of concern for stakeholders in the sector it supervises. Various findings have been made, revealing the poor port revenue performance in the economic growth of Nigeria.
To understand the causes contributing to the dwindling issues bedevilling the NPA’s revenue, the Federal Government has vowed to beem its searchlight on the Agency. Maybe, some cans of worms would be opened and a long-awaited therapeutic healing will befall the Agency as soon as possible.
Without much ado, stakeholders would agree that the Nigeria Ports Authority needs a genuine leader who could save the Federal Government’s agency from plunging further into the ditch of debts.
To fill this vacuum, President Muhammed Buhari appointed Kebbi-born Mohammed Bello-Koko, the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Authority to head it in the interim.
Koko who earned his first degree from the University of Sokoto in Management Studies (B.Sc) in 1992, is also an Alumnus of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto where he bagged his Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1995.
According to reports on the Authority’s website, his career started at FSB International Bank Plc, Port Harcourt from 1996 to 2004 as Executive Trainee-Banking Operations. He rose to several positions amongst which are Banking Officer-Credit and later Senior Banking Officer-Senior Treasury Officer, Senior Banking Officer-Energy Sector (ENSEC) in charge of managing various oil & gas related multinational accounts and sub-contractors.
He was Assistant Manager (Credit & Marketing) where he was Head, branch credit risk analyst, and later became Deputy Manager-Branch Manager/Marketing in charge of initiating, processing and monitoring of good quality risk assets, management of existing accounts and providing leadership Training.
He then joined Zenith Bank Plc in 2005 as a Manager-Team Head, Public Sector and Large Corporate. There again he rose to the positions of, Senior Manager- Head Public; Assistant General Manager/Zonal Head; Deputy General Manager and Zonal Head.
At various times between 2009-2015, Mohammed Bello-Koko was also named the Best Staff in Income (Revenue) Deposit Mobilization (S-S) from 2009-2015. Bello-Koko is a member of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria (ISMN). He has attended various causes at renowned International Institution and Training Centers.
Under his watch, proper measures should be taken to resolve the issue in NPS’s negligence, reform some of its policies and re-enact the Agency’s trust, especially among its stakeholders and shareholders.
Koko should also deploy his expertise to push the Authority’s relevance in the Nation’s revenue generation, boost its operations and suggest measures to control the curse on the sector/industry.
Mohammed Koko must genuinely tackle the worms of corruption that have eaten deep into the fabrics of NPA. There is an urgent need to launch measures that will cut corruption, promote transparency, improve efficiency and reduce congestion at ports and terminals at NPA.
Through his asserted efforts, the agency should aim to improve Nigeria’s ranking on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and put a stop to illegal demands. The Authority under his watch should see to its efficiency, and eliminate bottlenecks at ports.
Now that Koko is in charge, all hands must be on deck. Every Federal government agency in the maritime sector must pledge support for the new helmsman, for the smooth take-off of his tenure.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial of TheScript Newspaper
