The Port Manager of Nigeria’s premier Port, Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, Mr. Charles B. Okaga, has been bestowed with the Award of Most Outstanding Port Manager in Discipline and Reforms.
The award was conferred on the Port Manager by the popular Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers & Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC), a Maritime activists’ group that keeps watch of the happenings in the Maritime sector.
In his speech during the presentation of the prestigious award to Mr. Okaga, the National Coordinator of SNFFIEC, Chief (Dr.) Osita Chukwu KSJI, noted that the award was bestowed on the port manager primarily because of his dedication to duty, discipline, exemplary service, human relations management and his positive reforms.
Dr. Chukwu lauded Okaga for his dedication to duty, exemplary discipline and excellent human relations management.
He also commended the manager of the nation’s premier port for his managerial ingenuity which has improved port service, leading to an upsurge in export goods and other port activities.
The national coordinator enjoined the port manager not to rest on his oars but to continue to put in his best for seamless port operations.
Responding, Okaga said that he dedicated the award to the entire officers of Lagos Port Complex because of their sacrifices and resourcefulness and the fact that they bought into the vision of the management to ensure the delivery of competitive port service to port users and contributes their quota to the development of the national economy.
The port manager was elated to hint that the improved service has led to increase in exports.
According to him, taking 2022 as benchmark for exports, the port had 33 per cent increase in volume of exports in 2023 and 50 per cent increase over the corresponding period of 2022 in the first quarter of this year 2024.
“This is a testament that we are very concerned about trade facilitation and ease of doing business,” he stated.
Okaga disclosed that the primary concern even at meetings they have is on how to improve general business environment and business culture of Nigerian ports environment using the premier port as a guinea pig and also as a point of experimentation.
He was so grateful to God that all their experiments have born very positive fruits.
He expressed his gratitude to the Nigerian Ports Authority management led by Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko for giving him the opportunity to be tested and to serve in the capacity of a port manager.
He also thanked the Save Nigeria group for seeing the modest work that his team has been doing for which the award was bestowed on him.