An employment solutions company, tagged Employment Clinic, has congratulated Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for their recent electoral victories.
The duo were declared as President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Governor of Lagos State respectively by the Independent National Electoral Commission after the recent general elections.
In same vein, Employment Clinic Chief promoter, Ms. Ronke Kosoko, who spoke yesterday at a parley with journalists in Lagos, has urged Tinubu to appoint experts with experience to head key maritime agencies.
“The entire industry is looking forward to Sen. Bola Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to revive the maritime industry for the good of the country.
“This is because there has been dichotomy between the state and federal. Now, we want to ensure that the centre aligns at some level. 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.
“The problem of employment is what pushed us into the Project One Million Jobs which has a link with government. The employment part of the industry is a segment, just as infrastructure, policy, appointment issues are segments and if they are not fused together, the maritime economy is not going anywhere.
“So, the President-elect and the 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.
“I brought someone who is very close to the president-elect; someone who I know can report the truth to him directly and he (Tinubu) is aware of this. We didn’t leave it at that. We have been talking with people we know are going to be key drivers in his administration behind the scene. We are doing this to let them know the problems of the industry when they get there, and they are listening”, she said.
Kosoko added that plans are under way to create training and job opportunities for 5,000 graduates in the country’s maritime sector.
According to the firm, the objective is to bridge the gap between job seekers and employers of labour through its “Project One Million Jobs” set up in 2013, while its “Maritime Conversion Programme” arm focuses on introducing Nigerian graduates to the maritime sector and improve their career prospects.
According to her, the project enjoys the support of Chief Isaac Jolapamo, the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Nigeria Shipowners Association and Chairman, Morlap Group, as well as that of SIFAX Group.
She explained that the Maritime Conversion Programme takes care of the non-technical part of the manpower needed in the maritime sector, such as terminal operations, Journalism and many others, adding that 50% of the opportunities will be allocated to qualified women for equal representation and inclusion.
