The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Emmanuel Jime, has reaffirmed the age-long inter-agency rivalry among the government agencies in the maritime industry.

Jime alluded to the frosty relationship among the sister agencies in the sector while giving his goodwill message during the appreciation dinner organised by the League of Maritime Editors to honour the former Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Muazu Sambo and Barrister Ademola Adegoroye, the Minister of State for transportation.

He revealed that the intense rivalry among the agencies of government in the industry nearly aborted the reintroduction of the CTN but for the commitment and doggedness of Alhaji Sambo who ensured that the project came to fruition.

While eulogising the leadership qualities of the former Minister and his support for the Council, Jime declared that Sambo not only ensured that the Federal Executive Council(FEC) approved the reintroduction of the CTN but also ensured that the Shippers’Council was given the status of Designated Authority to implement the programme.

It could be recalled that the multimillion naira CTN was first introduced in Nigeria in 2010, during the late President Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration.

The contract was signed between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and a Belgian firm, TPMS-Antaser-Afrique and operated for one year before the former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, terminated it in 2011 on the grounds that the scheme was hurting businesses.

Apart from that, the scheme was enmeshed in allegations of fraud, which necessitated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch an investigation into the reported €40 million that had accrued before the termination of the scheme, which was unaccounted for.

He  pleaded with Ajani to ensure she makes CTN work before the next cabinet comes on board.

Reminding her that she’s now acting Minister of Transportation, the former Minister said, “I trust you to before the next cabinet is in place, make sure that the Cargo Tracking Note is working. You are the acting Minister now, you can take anything to Mr President for approval and get express approval.”

Earlier in his speech, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, Hon. Emmanuel Jime recalled that the Cargo Tracking Note which had been suspended for about eight years or more and which the Council struggled to reintroduce, was made possible by the Engr. Mu’azu Sambo as Minister of Transportation who also approved the NSC as the Designated Authority for the implementation.

Noting that he was aware of a number of agencies which kicked against the Nigerian Shippers’ Council implementing the Cargo Tracking Note, Jime said, “When Mu’azu Sambo came, the first thing he did as soon as he had interacted with me is ‘ES, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council under my watch will be given the implementation of the Cargo Tracking Note.’

“He went ahead, using everything within the political capital available to him to make sure that the Federal Executive Council approved the implementation of the Cargo Tracking Note. But not only did he ensure approval, he made certain that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is given the right of implementing the Cargo Tracking Note.

“And for us at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, this is leadership. I would have loved to stay here and eulogize and to speak extensively on what this is going to do to our maritime space but this is not the time, it’s neither the place to do that except to say Sir, if you didn’t do anything else in the maritime space, that singular achievement that was recorded, that, Sir, will follow you as a legacy and indeed, we at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council never ever forget that there was a Minister Sambo Mu’azu.”

Speaking about the former Minister of State for Transportation, the NSC boss said, “He never for once displayed that he was the boss and in this particular case, I was working under him instead, the Minister of State has treated me as a friend, as a brother. For me, that is a clear demonstration of the kind of leadership that these two men were.

“We didn’t work in an environment that gave the impression that we are under a structured leadership that is authoritarian instead we worked with our bosses who actually took us as brothers, as comrades of his and I don’t really think that there’s any better environment that you can do your best when you have a boss that takes you as a brother of his. So, sirs, we truly appreciate you, we love you.”

Also speaking, the immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha described Engr. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo and Prince Ademola Adegoroye as one of the Nigeria’s finest adding that he found in Sambo a dedicated and committed gentleman.

Mustapha who doubled as the Chairman of the occasion and was represented by the former Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Tolu Odebiyi said, “There are achievers but also there are some quiet achievers, he doesn’t make noise, he goes around focused, doing what he’s committed to doing and working very hard to make sure he gets the support of the federal government and of the Senate and the National Assembly to execute all of his projects and there were lots of projects accomplished under Sambo. The trains, and boats flagged off, among others are worthy of commendation. I pray and hope that your work will be recognized in the new administration and you’ll be rewarded accordingly.”

In his welcome address, the President, the League of Maritime Editors, Chief Timothy Okorocha observed that the former Ministers literally changed the narrative in Nigeria’s maritime industry through hard work and uncommon commitment to raise the bar, grow and improve the governance system, industry capacity, building and growth while noting the uncommon camaraderie that existed between Prince Ademola Adegoroye and Engr. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo is a measure of collective gains recorded by their very eventful but short stint.

“On behalf of the League, I wish to place it on record that Sambo and Adegoroye are the epitome of grace in leadership which also inspires and promote respect, chivalry and focus at the workplace leading to efficiency and productivity. We thank you, sirs, you have set a pace and standard that will take many decades to beat and brings us to the effervescent with which the former Ministers attended to and drove transformational change in the industry moving from mere thoughts of the successive administrations to implementation and execution.

“Sambo, it is also on record is the first Minister to publicly acknowledge the efforts of his predecessor and declared that he would work to execute whatever was pending which he did by regularly identifying opportunities that can be harvested to raise capacity. One such is in the area of the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, CVFF which has stalled repeatedly for close to two decades, Sambo said he was going to confront it frontally and ensure he secured approval to disburse. He accomplished it in less than nine weeks’ record time. And bearing any unforeseen circumstances, the process is already on.

“As media practitioners, it is our duty to have our eyes fixed on the activities and development of the transport sector and its sub-sectors. We hold Alhaji Sambo and his brother Minister of State have been exceptional, we are thankful sirs and quite elated to recognize the strategic efforts they employed in moving the industry forward with emphasis on the establishment of One Stop Shop Port Community System to promote interconnectivity and efficiency.”