CEO, Employment Clinic
…Congratulates President Elect , Governor Sanwo-Olu
The Chief Executive Officer of Employment Clinic, Ms Ronke Kosoko has urged the incoming President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the appointment of experts into key agencies in the maritime sector as this will aid instant impact and quick turnaround of the sector, while creating job opportunities and addressing infrastructure deficits.
Ms Kosoko who is an Employment Solutions Strategist made this clarion call while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday at Morlap House in Apapa, Lagos.
The media brief which was put together to congratulate the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the re-election of governor Babajide Sanwo-0lu into office, was also to draw their attention to the urgent need of the maritime sector, especially at Lagos ports.
Kosoko hinted that over the last decade, the nation’s maritime industry has been declining, despite having potentials to sustain the economy.
She stressed on the need for the incoming government to resuscitate port business and shipping, adding that the whole industry is looking forward to them reviving of the maritime industry for the good of the country.
According to her, the newly completed $1.5billion Lekki Deep Seaport has led to massive transfer of about 50% qualified maritime workers of terminals and shipping companies at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports migrating to Lekki seaport.
A situation, she said has left several seaport terminals at Apapa perplexed as they have started recording high degree of staff losses on account of better work environment in Lekki rather than the traffic chaos and other challenges at Apapa and Tin Can port environs, hence the urgent need for skilled manpower to replace those exiting Apapa port whilst also meeting the labour needs at Lekki deep seaport.
In her words: “There has been dichotomy between the state and federal. Now, we want to ensure that the center aligns at some. Apapa for instance is affecting the whole nation. If Apapa Port, Tin Can Island Port and Lekki Port work optimally, the state and the entire nation will be better for it”.
While speaking on “Project One Million jobs” iin the Maritime sector, she noted
the the president-elect and governor of Lagos State should understand that there is need to pay attention to maritime economy.
“We have been mandated to interface with the seven agencies under the Ministry of Transportation, and have spoken to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’Council (NSC) and others. We do not want to go on the journey alone, we need the media along and that is part of the reason we are having this session
She added that the employment initiative, which started a decade ago, is to connect the dots between the government and the industry in order to create more job opportunities for the nation’s teeming youths.
Kosoko also said that the problem of employment is what birthed the Project “One Million Jobs” which has a link with government, adding that employment part of the industry is a segment, just as infrastructure, policy, appointment issues are segments and if not fused together, the maritime economy might not move.
