The Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, has described the death of Otunba Kunle Folarin, Chairman, Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) as a great loss to Nigeria’s maritime industry.
In a condolence message, Afolabi described Folarin, who died at the age of 85, as a “maritime encyclopedia” due to his wealth of experience and expertise about the sector as well as his willingness to share his intellectual resources with others.
He said: “I recall his outstanding performance when he graciously served as the Keynote Speaker at the 3rd edition of the Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime Conference where he spoke passionately about the place of port costs and charges in the overall port reform regime in Nigeria. It was indeed an enlightening session where he brought to bear his depth of knowledge and experience to proffer workable solutions to this recurring problem. Even at a short notice for the conference’s 4th edition, Otunba Kunle Folarin’s insights as a panellist became a key highlight of the occasion.”
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Afolabi further noted that the demise of Folarin has left a huge gap in the country’s maritime watchdog space, adding that the sector will greatly miss his bold personality and intellectual approach to industry discourse.
“His death has depleted the tribe of knowledgeable maritime professionals in Nigeria with a razor-sharp intellectual bent who are never afraid to speak truth to power in a bid to reposition and maximise opportunities in the country’s maritime industry for the overall good of the nation’s economy.”
The SIFAX Group boss also appealed to NPCC and all of Folarin’s allies to sustain the advocacy for a better maritime industry in Nigeria for which the deceased was noted for.
