Story by Dili Utomi.
It was a grand occasion with lots of dignitaries from within and outside the country on Thursday night at the fully filled Eko hotel venue as they witnessed the investiture of Dr. Bashir Jamoh as the Maritime man of the year.
The event was organised by the Maritime Media Limited, publishers of the Shipping World Magazine. At the occasion were politicians, industry heavyweights and media personnel who thronged the venue of the occasion to witness the honour being bestowed on a man who was described at the occasion by Philip Aye of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as “having done more for the reputation of Nigeria than anybody else in this country”.
Such personalities as Senator Aliyu Lawal, Sam Nwakohu, Olayinka Shittu, Jean Chiazor-Anishere, Adewale Adeyanju, Lamin Tumaka, Bola Muse, Greg Ogbeifun, Bunmi Olumekun, Taiwo Mustapha, Rollens McFoy, Philip Aye of the IMO and Patricia Davies of the British High Commission were on hand to celebrate “the man who the cap fits”. There was also in attendance a representative of the Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Honourable Babatunde Bombatta.
The publisher of the Shipping World Magazine and the convener of the occasion is no other than Elder Asu Beks and in his opening speech he noted that “Today, we gather to celebrate a cerebral technocrat, a man who arguably came ahead of his time. Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh who we are celebrating today in all honesty is face of a new Nigeria. In the last three years since the mantle of leadership fell on him as helmsman of Nigeria’s apex Maritime regulatory agency, Dr. Jamoh has left no one in doubt that he is not here only to change the face of Nigeria’s Maritime domain, but to also stamp Nigeria’s name in the comity of Maritime nations as a critical stakeholder”.
“In the last three years or thereabout, no Maritime agency or organisation holder has robustly engaged stakeholders the way he has done”.
Goodwill messages flowed in the course of the event. “Dr. Bashir Jamoh is a recipient of so many prestigious awards and I believe that this is just the beginning of many more to come”, this was from Senator Aliyu Lawal.
“The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria is proud of you and will continue to celebrate you. You are a man of integrity and I want to use this medium to tell everyone that you are now a senior member of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria”, this is from Adewale Adeyanju, the presdident-general of MWUN.
Sam Nwakohu, the immediate past Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria said ” Jamoh is such an awesome somebody that he attends to issues anytime you reach him and he will always tell you that I am there for you”.
Engineer Greg Ogbeifun noted that “Jamoh is a man of the people. He became the DG of NIMASA under difficult circumstances and he needed to build up trust which he has done and is also taking the opportunity to move the agency to its present height”.
The director of finance at NIMASA is Chuddy Offordile said that he was very appreciative of the fact that the award came from outside his agency and from a section of the societal watchdogs, the media.
Philip Aye of the IMO said that “If Dr. Jamoh were to be be in America, he would have his own tv station. He has done more for the reputation of Nigeria in the Maritime world than anyone else”.
Patricia Davies of the British High Commission who oversees Maritime security says that “We have worked very closely with NIMASA and Dr. Jamoh and we want to thank him for his cooperation over the years”.
More encomiums came from others including Madam Lamin Tumaka, Mrs. Rollens McFoy and of course the representative of the Minister, Mr. Babatunde Bombatta who said “It gives me great pleasure to witness the honouring of our brother with this great award in his effort towards the attainment of the objectives of the Blue Economy. The selection of Dr. Jamoh for this award is a clear indication of the efforts put in and the results achieved for the progress of the Maritime sector by Dr. Jamoh”.
Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh who has been working in the Maritime sector for over thirty years is a man whose trophy cabinet holds many honours which include the prestigious Zik award for leadership and many man of the year awards, but the highest of them all being the “Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) award that he received last year.
He has been described as a Maritime expert of repute and one who will remain a reference point in the industry for many more years to come. He poured out his heart in gratitude to the organisers and everyone present
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