By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – President Bola Tinubu on Friday appointed a top technocrat and seasoned administrator, Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar, as the new chairman of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
The appointment of the Kaduna state born legal, administrative and financial expert, was part of the recently announced appointments of chairpersons for 42 federal organisations and a secretary to the board of the Civil Defence, Immigration, and Prisons Services.
Unveiling the new appointees in a statement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, also said that the President has also appointed a new managing director for the Nigerian Railway Corporation and a director-general for the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI).
The new NIMASA chairman, Abubakar, who parades an impressive CV of leadership and administration that cuts across private and public institutions, is also a big player in the political turf of Kaduna.
Abubakar, a legal practitioner, is a former principal partner/legal, at Yusuf Abubakar & Co. He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (financial management) of the University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Between 2000 and 2005, he also held sway as the pioneer Chief Executive Officer at the Petroleum Technology Department Fund (PTDF). He is also a former Director, African Petroleum Plc.
He served in Kaduna state government as a Commissioner, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and member, Kaduna State Economic Council between 1998 and 1999, Commissioner of Health and Social Development, 1992 – 1992.
Abubakar is also a one time Director-General, Bureau for Lands and Survey, Kaduna State Government, 1994-1997.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has the mandate to regulate and promote maritime safety, security, and pollution prevention in Nigeria; ensure the safety of ships, crew, and passengers, as well as the prevention of maritime accidents; prevent and suppress piracy, armed robbery, and other unlawful acts against the safety of maritime navigation; prevent and control pollution of the marine environment from ships and other sources; and regulate and enforce standards, among others.
Among the prominent appointees are former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who has been named Chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, former Minister of External Affairs, who will chair the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA); and Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, who assumes the role of Chairman of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP).