Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, has commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for its commitment to the reward and recognition of excellence amongst its staff as well as the welfare of its entire personnel.

Mustapha, who was represented by Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo spoke at the 201/2018 Long Service and Merit Award put together by the management of the NPA during the weekend.

The SGF said: “Nothing can be more gratifying to a dedicated worker than recognition and celebration, and I want to commend the Board and Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority for the foresight that birthed this occasion, which I understand has not held in a long time.”

He noted that this initiative was in line with the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s commitment to the welfare of staff as “evident in the commitment of the government to implement the new minimum wage as well as the payment of the pensions and gratuities of former employees of Nigerian Airways amongst others. The administration will leave no stone unturned towards rewarding the dedication of its workforce.” Mustapha congratulated the awardees and charged them to see the honour as an incentive for better performance.

Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman, restated the management’s commitment to the welfare of staff emphasising that this was critical to the achievement of all the reforms aimed at bequeathing an agency for which all Nigerian would proud.

In her words, “Management considers putting in place a well-motivated workforce with the requisite character, competence and capacity to optimise our rich Maritime endowment towards the sustainability of the reforms we have undertaken so far. Without this, the sustainability of the reforms we have undertaken so far as well as the audacious goals we poised to achieve as enunciated in the 25-year-development plan would remain unattainable,” said Bala Usman

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, also praised the Authority for aligning with the objective of the Federal Government in the area of improved welfare and appreciation for the workforce stated that the present administration would continue to invest assiduously in the welfare of the Nigerian workers. This, he stressed has been exemplified through the recent approval of the National Minimum Wage and resolution of Industrial disputes.

Present at the event where over three hundred staffers of the NPA were honoured included Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Ameachi, who was representedby Director of Human Resources at the Ministry, MrsNkiru Ejiofor; Director- General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside; former Minister of Transportation, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (rtd); members of the board of NPA; past Managing Directors of NPA, includingMallam Bello Gwandu, Mallam Omar Suleiman, Arc Aminu Dabo and Mr Felix Ovbude, amongst hundreds of maritime stakeholders.

•Photo shows NPA MD Hadiza Bala Usman with some of the dignitaries thatgracedthe 201/2018 Long Service and Merit Award put together by the management of the NPA during the weekend