It was a sigh of relief for Nigeria’s Maritime Stakeholders when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on July 12, 2024 named Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority. Dantsoho is not only an accomplished international technocrat and professional of repute, he is also someone who had paid his dues. He was a one time Port Port Manager, a former Chief of Staff to the immediate minister of Transportation, among other critical portfolios. His appointment came at a time Nigerians were already getting frustrated that the NPA was becoming a breeding ground for political settlement , with appointees deviating from NPAs core functions as a critical component of our economic wellbeing, as gateway to the nation’s economy . For instance, when during the Buhari administration Hadiza Bala Usman was appointed Managing Director, she came with a full compliment of an Executive Management of who were all ” outsiders ” and had little or no background in the maritime sector . The same scenario played out when the immediate past helmsman, Muhammed Beko Koko, who had previously served under Hadiza Bala Usman as Executive Director, Finance and Administration, was named as her replacement. Under Koko and Hadiza, the NPA , regrettably, were run as military garrison, where the MD operated like a garrison commander. If we are to go by history the most successful CEOs in the NPA , were those who operated an open door policy, and embraced participatory leadership style . They include the likes of Engr Wali Ahmed, Ibrahim Gwandu, Adebayo Sarumi and Omar Suleiman ,to mention just a few of them. Participatory leadership is a style of leadership where leaders involve employees in decision making process as opposed to where a CEO operated like a Sole Administrator, and hardly consulted. Now, under Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, there’s a breath of fresh air at the NPA, where participatory leadership style is holding sway. Key characteristics of participatory leadership include leaders prioritizing working together and building strong team relationships.
There are also benefits in open communication which creates an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas with the boss. Dantsoho has also deployed a shared decision- making process where employees are actively involved in the decision-making process. He is also exploring an empowerment model where employees are given a sense of ownership and responsibility for their work and a with a feedback mechanism which seeks to connect and incorporate employees feedbacks in decision making
While MD Dantsoho facilitates the process, he ultimately makes the final decision as the buck stops on his table. There’s no doubt that the benefits of participative leadership may have led to an improved decision-making by incorporating diverse perspectives, as decisions are more likely to be well-rounded and effective. Besides , most employees feel motivated , valued and engaged when their input is sought and considered. Employees are more invested in decisions they have helped shaped as this
is leading to more creative and innovative solutions, including stronger team relationships.
In essence, participative leadership is about leveraging the collective intelligence of the team to make better decisions and create a more engaged and motivated workforce, which has been the hallmark of his leadership. And those who are smiling home with Dantsoho style of leadership are Nigerian Port Users who are reaping from the quick turn around time of vessels, improved cargo delivery and sanity on our ports corridor. With just 10 months into his administration at Marina House, the successes recorded thus far by Dr Abubakar Dantsoho can be tied to his open door policy and his leadership style which is anchored on participatory engagement . As a homegrown manager, Dantsoho would tell anyone who cares to listen that he is a good student of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is a great apostle of participatory leadership. The NPA helmsman was quoted recently as having confided in a top management staff: ” Any manager or boss who claims to know it all may be swimming in a fool’s paradise. Here in NPA, we go the extra mile to weigh all options available to us. We don’t take decisions based on the spur of the moment . We operate an open door policy where all shades of opinion are processed before ariving at a common position ” he concluded. With barely two months to the first anniversary of his appointment as Managing Director of Nigerian Ports, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, would have so much to celebrate on July 12, 2025.