Inspirational leadership is a dynamic and transformative approach to leading people that goes beyond simply managing tasks or issuing directives. It’s about motivating, energizing, and empowering individuals and teams to achieve their full potential and work towards a shared, compelling vision.
At its heart, inspirational leadership is the ability to influence and uplift others to perform beyond expectations and contribute their best. It’s about creating an environment where people are not just compliant, but genuinely enthusiastic, committed, and driven by a sense of purpose. This is the guiding principle as the port reforms driven by Adegboyega Oyetola , Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, begin to take root. Oyetola was “written off”by stakeholders when he was picked by President Bola Tinubu to midwife the brand new ministry. He was called names. He was nicknamed ” Baba Go Slow “. Unknown to many, he was being strategic, taking his time to study the currents in the turbulent waters in the new ministry. And in just two years, Nigeria’s comatose seaports are breathing a new lease of life. And luckily for Oyetola, God blessed him with an accomplished port administrator in Abubakar Dantsoho, a new Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority,who was blessed with all the qualities of a transformative leader. Abubakar is not only a team player ,as an astute Port Administrator, he consults widely and is blessed with a crop of highly motivated workforce who have sworned to give him all the support he requires. Why wouldn’t they when in just 12 months he granted no fewer than 1,500 staffers an upgrade to their next ranks and positions.
In just one year in office, the NPA under the leadership of Abubakar Dantsoho was able to secure a $1billion ports rehabilitation facility as various port corridors are set to wear a new look .
A glance of goings on at the Nigerian Ports Authority in the preceding year reveals a readiness by the Managing Director ,Dr. Dantsoho to deploy his decades of experience in the maritime sector for the maximization of benefits derivable from Nigeria’s littoral assets and blue economy potentials.
Dantsoho who enjoys a considerable level of support from his performance-driven Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has his focus set on implementing deliberate performance improvement measures geared towards making Nigeria the preferred hub in the West and Central African sub region . Critical stakeholders in sector have applauded President Bola Tinubu for appointing Dantsoho, stressing that the president’s famed eye for talents has again been proven right with his giant strides in the last one year.
Port rehabilitation and modernisation under Dantsoho has improved significantly, with a promise by the new NPA helmsman to prioritise efficiency by embarking on port rehabilitation. Work has since commenced with the finalisation of documentation and commencement of actual works on the $1billion worth reconstruction of the Tincan Island Port Complex and the comprehensive rehabilitation of Apapa, Rivers, Onne, Warri and Calabar Port Complexes to reinforce their infrastructural integrity and bring them up to speed with the contemporary demands of the international maritime ecosystem.
On new ports developments, the NPA has taken steps towards port capacity expansion through the operationalisation of new Ports and advancement of green port development, Dantsoho only last month led the NPA Management to finalize an agreement for the $1billion development of Snake Island Port to be built on an 85-hectare site within the Snake Island Integrated Free Zone. This is in addition to the Badagry Deep Seaport, Ondo Deep Seaports and Burutu Ports which are at various stages of progress under the technical guidance of the NPA. With the Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window amongst other initiatives for port competitiveness being aggressively implemented, it is evident that the Nigerian Ports Authority is poised to transform its strategic intent of being the maritime logistics hub for sustainable port services in Africa from potential to actualities.
The NPA has concluded Nigeria’s membership of the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA), which is a necessary precursor to the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) project. Single Window operation is the global trade best practice for the electronic exchange of information relating to over 500 million TEU movements and billion of tonnes of cargo for sea, air and land transport modes. Dantosho’s insistence on port efficiencies has also culminated in Nigeria’s attainment of trade surplus of N5.81 trillion ($3.7 billion) in third quarter of 2024 as reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) foreign trade alert through exports predominantly consummated on the platforms of the Nigerian Ports Authority. Also, the successful implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s strategy for the sale of crude and other petroleum products in naira which in addition to saving Billions of FOREX earnings hitherto lost to importation, resulted in guaranteeing national energy security, deepening balance of trade and creating direct and indirect jobs. The NPA has put Public Private Partnership modalities in motion to derive revenue from Ports Independent Power Production.
It would be recalled that the NPA Consolidated Management Report of the Nigerian Ports Authority ,2024 highlights significant improvements in port activities, with multiple indicators pointing to robust growth across various sectors. From cargo throughput to ship traffic and service boat operations, the Nigerian ports have experienced remarkable progress.
One of the most notable achievements in 2024 was the substantial increase in cargo throughput. Cargo traffic surged by 45.1%, rising from 71,213,197 metric tons in 2023 to 103,336,863 metric tons in 2024. This increase reflects heightened trade activities and improved operational efficiencies. Lekki Port stood out as the leader in cargo throughput growth, recording a 2,160.8% increase, followed by Onne Port with a 9.4% rise and Tin Can Island Port with 7.3% growth. Notably, Liquid Bulk cargo accounted for the largest share at 55.6%, while containerized cargo contributed 20.9%.
The Nigerian ports also recorded impressive gains in ship traffic. The number of ship calls increased by 5.6%, growing from 3,791 in 2023 to 4,005 in 2024. This was accompanied by an even more substantial 15.4% growth in Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT), which climbed from 123,660,278 to 142,660,418 tons. Lekki Port again led the growth trend, registering a 477.6% increase in ship calls, while Onne Port experienced a 5.8% rise. The total container throughput also saw a significant 9.7% increase, with 1,744,972 TEUs handled in 2024, compared to 1,591,194 TEUs in 2023. Within this category, laden containers grew by 12.2%, with export-laden containers experiencing an outstanding 53.7% rise. Transhipment container traffic saw an even more impressive 136.5% increase, indicating a growing role for Nigerian ports in regional cargo redistribution.
Despite the global economic recession, 2024 wasn’t a particularly bad business year for the Nigerian Ports Authority, as there was a lot to celebrate.