Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola on Wednesday charged heads of agencies within the ministry to work assiduously to realise their deliverables as captured in the performance bond signed by him with President Bola Tinubu.
The call is coming barely 24 hours after engaging stakeholders in the maritime industry on Tuesday in Lagos where he noted that the execution of the performance bond, in addition to the completion of key projects within the ministry, would no doubt position Nigeria as one of the maritime nations in the world.
Oyetola said with the charge from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ministers to “unfailingly demonstrate innovative thinking and an unrelenting focus on results,” the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was set to position Nigeria as a premier maritime nation.
He noted that the desire to make Nigeria a premier maritime nation would be achieved by utilising the potential of the county’s blue economy to diversify revenue, assure sustainable development, and cultivate environmental stewardship.
He spoke at the maiden edition of the Ministerial retreat, organised for the Ministry and agencies under it, to cascade the directive of Mr. President on set targets and goals of the Ministry.
The Minister said the retreat provided the space to evaluate, prioritise, and forge practical resolutions for improvement and would help cascade the signed bond to Ministry’s Directors and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Ministry’s Agencies.
Oyetola went further to say that the retreat equally provides a platform to relate with sector players with a view to understanding their roles as a key sector within the Nigerian Economy, as well as to brainstorm on strategies needed to achieve its mandate and functions.
He said: “The maritime sector stands as a reservoir of immense potential, not only for economic growth but also for diversifying our revenue source and generating abundant employment opportunities for Nigerians.
“I am convinced we have what it takes to deliver on our Key Performance Indicators. We, are, therefore, gathered here to brainstorm on how to deliver on the KPIs. For instance, three months ago, I was told that the Funtua Inland Dry Port was at 80 percent completion stage.
“Considering that we are expected to deliver this particular project in the first quarter of next year, it would be interesting to hear from the Nigerian Shippers Council how this can be achieved in record time.”
