PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Abubakar Dantosho as the new managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, July 12.
Ngelale also disclosed that the President appointed former senator who represented Ekiti South at the Nigerian Senate, Adedayo Adeyeye, as Chairman of the Board of the NPA.
“Dr. Dantsoho holds a Doctorate degree in Maritime Technology from Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, and a Master’s degree in International Transport from Cardiff University of Wales, United Kingdom. Before his appointment, he had served in various roles in the Nigerian Ports Authority as Assistant General Manager; Technical Assistant to the Managing Director; Port Manager, Onne Port; and Principal Manager, Tariff & Billing.
“Senator Adeyeye, the Board Chairman, is a seasoned lawyer, journalist, and politician. He is a former Minister of State for Works and former Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District,” Ngelale noted.
He added that Tinubu expected the new appointees to discharge their duties efficiently toward improving the agency.
The responsibilities of the NPA include the development of port operational infrastructure, day-to-day monitoring of operations and enacting and enforcing port regulations and by-laws.
Some of the issues that hinder efficient operations in Nigerian ports, particularly in Apapa, Lagos, are truck congestion, indiscriminate extortion and other corrupt practices.
In 2022, former NPA managing director Mohammed Bello-Koko said the agency was committed to eliminating systemic corruption at the ports.
The ICIR reported in 2023 that these issues continue to impede operations in Apapa.
The report also revealed that violent toll collectors at the port frequently harass and attack business owners, forcefully collecting illegal taxes from them, thereby frustrating importation and exportation activities carried out at the ports.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.