From Suleiman Amagbor, Lagos
The appointment of Abubakar Dantsoho, was approved by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu last Friday after what a presidential source said was the aftermath of a rigorous scrutiny of a list of candidates presented to the President.
Our correspondent gathered that the Nigerian leader was impressed with the experiences and work career of the Taraba state-born maritime guru who finally gave the nod to appoint him to oversee one of the country’s top revenue generating agencies.
The source noted that the maritime sector is very dear to President Tinubu’s heart because of the importance of the sector to the success of his administration, hence his decision to scan the industry for a competent professional he believes will hit the ground running and someone with industry cognate experience.
Seasoned maritime stakeholders told our correspondent in Lagos that the President did indeed find the right person in the new NPA helmsman as they describe him as a round peg in a round hole and a thoroughbred maritime professional.
A stakeholder affirmed that Abubakar Dantsoho has tremendous understanding of the working mechanism of the ports and maritime ecosystem and also one familiar with maritime stakeholders, terminal operators, shipping companies, joint venture companies, freight forwarders and international treaties and conventions on maritime, affirming that he is not a green horn that will take sometimes to learn on the job.
Here are ten key things to know about the new NPA Managing Director:
- Early Life and Education: Born in Jalingo, Taraba State, Abubakar Dantsoho served his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in 1992.
- Professional Experience: With over 25 years in Maritime Technology, International Transport, and Port Management, Dantsoho is known for his analytical, data-driven approach and versatility as a team player.
- Academic Background: He holds a Ph.D. in Maritime Technology from Liverpool John Moores University, UK (2015), an MSc in International Transport from Cardiff University, UK (1999), and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria (1992). He started his stint at the NPA in 1993.
- Professional Memberships: Dantsoho is a member of numerous professional bodies including the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, the Chartered Institute of Transport, the Institute of Logistics and Transport of Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Shipping, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the Nautical Institute, UK. He is also a member of the Ikoyi Club 1938.
- Career Milestones: He has served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Transport, Assistant General Manager at NPA, and Technical Assistant to the Managing Director. His roles have included Port Manager at Onne Port and Principal Manager of Tariff & Billing.
- Awards and Recognitions: Dantsoho received the NPA 25-year long service merit award in 2019 and a letter of commendation for successfully berthing the EGINA FPSO Ship in Nigerian territorial waters in 2018.
- Consultancy Projects: He has been involved in significant consultancy studies including a 25-year Ports Development Masterplan by Crown Agent, UK, and World Bank projects on port concession assessment and private sector participation in Lagos’ integrated transport system.
- International Delegations: Dantsoho has represented Nigeria at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London in 2010 and attended the World Ports Conference of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) in Busan, South Korea in 2011.
- Technical Expertise: He has extensive technical expertise in various MS Office applications, operating systems, programming languages, and data management tools. His proficiency includes using Mercury Quality Center 9, JIRA, Selenium IDE, Selenium RC, Selenium WebDriver, BDD Cucumber, and Maven system methodologies, Waterfall, Agile, and Scrum.
- Personal Interests: Outside of his professional life, Dantsoho enjoys reading, traveling, and jogging.
