To him, the man who can drive the new ministry considered the most critical to Nigeria’s economic prosperity should be a man who has the tenacity and agility of Rotimi Amaechi, the former Transportation Minister, the technical and professional competence of Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the industry knowledge of Mohammed Bello-Koko, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)and the managerial dexterity and acumen of Barrister Hassan Bello, the erstwhile Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council, all rolled into one.

“But unfortunately, Oyetola lacks any of these attributes.

“The only thing going on for him is that he is a politician and  he is close to Mr President.

“But maritime is a global sector which does not rely on close affinity with the  President but mainly thrives on competence”

” The industry needs someone who can provide the needed leadership, direction and capacity to harness the boundless opportunities in the sector” another industry operator stated.

Even Oyetola is not a top-notch politician couched in the mold of the fiery  Nyesom Wike, the incumbent Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“If he were, he would not have lost the gubernatorial seat of Osun state to the dancing Ademola  Adeleke.” another respondent declared.

It was a general opinion among the industry stakeholders that the only covering the minister has are the duo of NIMASA DG, Bashir Jamoh and NPA MD, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who are providing direction, needed capacity, technical support and ability required to fuel the engine of the industry.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been lost to another politician, they argued.

“The greatest error which the government nay Oyetola will make is to replace these two industry technocrats with another politicians after their first tenure is over” a Lagos-based shipping magnate observed.

Observers believed that if he does, that will signal the beginning of the downward slide of the industry which rivals the oil and gas sector in terms of revenue generation.

“To cover his knowledge gap of the industry, it will be in the best interest of Oyetola to retain the services of the two helmsmen at NIMASA and  NPA who have so far provided the life-saving shield for the minister’ s lack of competence and capacity”  another industry operator stated.

It would be recalled that stakeholders have called for the appointment of an industry technocrat such as the erstwhile Executive Secretary of the Shippers’Council, Barrister Hassan Bello, to head the ministry.

However, they were disappointed by the appointment of a politician who they felt could not provide the needed leadership to the new ministry.

Little wonder industry stakeholders maintained a graveyard silence at the appointment of the former Osun state governor.

Some of the disappointed industry operators who lack the confidence to speak out whispered to our reporter that the appointment of Oyetola as the head of the ministry is a fundamental error committed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has severally been hailed for his many competence-based appointments.

“The  President missed it on the appointment of Oyetola. If he needed to rehabilitate him politically for his loss of Osun Guber seat, the President shouldn’t have given him such a critical industry as the marine and blue economy which is the lifeline of the economy.

“Creating a special industry for maritime, which shows he is a listening President given the general clamour of the stakeholders, is a big plus for Mr. President but appointing Oyetola to head this all-important ministry is a big minus and a drag on the vibrancy and dynamism of the industry”  a frontline industry stakeholder who begged for anonymity for fear of victimisation, declared.

But ASU Beks, a maritime media icon, was not the type to speak tongue in cheek.

With uncommon frankness and candor, Mr Beks said Oyetola has nothing to offer the industry.

In an interview which is a prelude to his forthcoming 70th birthday, the Publisher of the famous Shipping World Magazine described Oyetola as a square peg in a round hole of the new ministry.

He claimed that President Tinubu played politics with the appointment of Oyetola as the minister of marine and blue economy.

“How do you go and establish such a critical ministry that will require technical expertise?

“Then you bring somebody who knows next to nothing about maritime to head the ministry? A ministry that we are hoping would drive this economy.“In Nigeria, we like to politicize everything, are there no APC members in this industry, that are stakeholders, that are qualified?

“I don’t have anything against Adegboyega Oyetola, for me, he is a fine gentleman, not controversial.“But Mr. President should have looked for some other better job for him, not as a Minister of Marine and Blue Economy. He will not deliver”

“I don’t have faith in Oyotola, he doesn’t have the competence, look at the financial sector, look at what Mr. President did. Look at the CBN Governor, look at the economic team.

” You look there, you see experts. Why do we play politics with the maritime sector? A sector that is so critical.

“When Bello-Koko leaves, the next MD of NPA should be somebody from the Nigerian Port Authority.
Let’s stop this idea of looking for politicians to run our ports, for as long as we are doing that, our ports will not grow”.

“It is not just enough for you to go and sign a performance bond, the willpower, the will has to come from this ministry, and the way this ministry is constituted, the will has to come from within.“So I pity our ship owners. They have to put their acts together, they should stop being beggarly, and they should confront the government.

“If they go on like this, in all our lifetime, that CVFF fund will not be disbursed” Elder ASU Beks declared.

The general trepidation among the industry stakeholders is their belief that Adegboyega Oyetola may not possess the requisite attributes and capacity to drive a grade-A sector like the marine and blue economy.

As an insurance expert, maritime is certainly not his familiar turf.