The newly appointed Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero on Wednesday assumed office with an appeal to the management team as well as the staff of the authority to assist in the daunting task ahead.
Bayero who made the plea during an official handover ceremony held in Lagos yesterday added that support from management would help the agency, the economy and the nation in general, pledging his total support for the development of the NPA.
He further assured that as the new Managing Director of authority, cooperation among workers was of essence stressing that with a formidable team in place, all the challenges faced by the NPA would be addressed with ease.
According to him, “Without your support for the NPA to move forward will not be too good for the economy and the nation and that is why I hope we all will work together because I pledge my full support and cooperation. I am looking forward to us, putting efforts together in making the authority better and the only way to achieve that is through the confident we have among ourselves”.
He however described the outgoing Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi as a brother and friend thereby wishing him well in his future endeavours.
Earlier in his remarks, outgoing MD of the NPA Mallam Habib Abdullahi called for total support and assistance from management staff of the agency for the new helms man saying that with management support, some of the challenges faced by the NPA would be surmounted even as he stressed that challenges were abound.
Abdullahi called on the new MD to ensure that the different Unions within the authority were well taken care of adding that with their support, some of the challenges were half way solved.
“For you to succeed as MD NPA, you will need the support and cooperation of your colleagues. I think you need them much more than they need you because the challenges ahead are enormous”, Abdullahi said.
He went on, “We went through a lot such as restructuring the organisation. We have gone through a lot of challenges but I will leave the rest for posterity to judge. Let posterity judge my tenure as the MD of the organisation.
“The job is filled with excitement and challenges; the excitement is the job while the challenge is the interest. The new MD is part and parcel of me. He is a brother, friend, colleague, and classmate; the transition is like from one person to the other. I ask for your support and assistance for him because he is new in the authority and even the industry. Should he fail, all of us have failed.”
Abdullahi expressed appreciation to the Executive Directors and leaders of the various workers unions that worked with him saying his achievements were due to their support for his administration even as he thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for the opportunity given him to serve in that capacity.