Oyetola Commends MAN Oron for Commitment to Ministerial Deliverables

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, has applauded the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, for its unwavering dedication to the Federal Government’s Performance Management System (PMS) reform and its alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

(From R)The Representative of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Hajia Ibrahim Kalthum, Director, Research and Strategic Development, Dr. John Adeyanju and the Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Dr. Kevin Okonna, shortly after signing the 2025 Departmental Performance Bond during the Management Retreat and Ministerial Handholding for the Performance Management System and Enterprise Content Management System in the Academy recently

The commendation was delivered through Hajia Ibrahim Kalthum, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS) in the Ministry, who represented the Minister at a two-day Management Retreat and Ministerial Handholding Session held at the Academy.

The Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Dr. Kevin Okonna, during his presentation at the just concluded Management Retreat and Ministerial Handholing Session for the Performance Management System and Enterprise Content Management System held in the  Maritime Academy of Nigeria recently

According to a release by Domo Umoekpe, Anipr, MAN HOD Public Affairs, the retreat focused on the implementation of the PMS and the Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS), both of which are key reforms aimed at enhancing accountability, performance, and digital transformation across agencies under the Ministry.

On  the driving of reform and digital transformation, Hajia Kalthum emphasized that the PMS and ECMS are already operational within the Ministry and are designed to: align departmental and individual goals with national priorities, objectively assess staff performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), identify and address capacity gaps through targeted training, and digitize records and workflows for improved efficiency and transparency.

She said, “The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has, in alignment with the vision of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, embarked on a comprehensive reform agenda aimed at strengthening performance, accountability, and digital transformation across all its agencies.”

“The Maritime Academy of Nigeria, as Nigeria’s foremost maritime education and training institution, must lead by example in embracing these reforms, and the Ministry is glad that the Academy is taking these key reforms seriously,” she added.

She noted that the Academy, as Nigeria’s premier maritime education institution, must lead by example in embracing these reforms. “Records will no longer be buried in physical files but digitally stored and easily retrieved” she said, highlighting the ECMS’s role in preserving institutional memory and promoting seamless interdepartmental collaboration.

To ensure full compliance and staff engagement, Hajia Kalthum urged the Acting Rector to appoint visible PMS Champions within the Academy. These champions, she suggested, should wear branded uniforms and dedicate specific days to raising awareness—mirroring the Ministry’s own internal campaign.

“The Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) represents a collective march towards digital transformation, records will no longer be buried in physical files but digitally stored and easily retrieved. Processes will be streamlined, cutting down inefficiencies and delays.

“Inter-departmental collaboration will be seamless. Data integrity and institutional memory will be preserved for future generations. This is particularly important for the Academy as it seeks international recognition, accreditation, and compliance with global maritime standards,” she said.

She further urged the Acting Rector to constitute a team of Performance  Management System (PMS) Champions, who would drive participation and enlightenment of staff in the Academy to ensure full compliance.

“I wish to urge the Acting Rector to constitute Performance Management System (PMS) Champions who will help the Management drive the effective implementation of this new system. These champions should be visible with dedicated t-shirts and caps, and a special day set aside for PMS awareness, just as we have done in the Ministry, where every Thursday our champions wear the PMS uniform and go round creating awareness.

“As every officer must take responsibility for results, be accountable, be champions of digitalization, move away from old habits of paperwork and embrace technology, and collaboration. Transformation thrives when leadership and staff work as one team”, she said.

 (6th Position from R) The Representative of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy,  Hajia Ibrahim Kalthum with the Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Dr. Kevin Okonna and Directors and Heads of Departments displaying their signed Performance Bond

She assured the Academy of continued oversight, technical support, and periodic reviews from the Ministry to ensure the success of the reforms.

In his remarks, Acting Rector Dr. Kevin Okonna expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister for his visionary leadership, which according to him has earned the Ministry top ratings from the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU) in the implementation of Presidential Priorities.

Dr. Okonna outlined the Academy’s 2024 contributions to the Ministry’s deliverables, includes the training of 4,775 seafarers and dockworkers, provision of digital tools to enhance staff productivity, expanded capacity-building initiatives, and full implementation of PMS to promote accountability.

He also highlighted the Academy’s strategic partnerships with shipping companies for onboard cadet training, collaboration with NIMASA on safety course standards, and upcoming MoU with the Abuja MoU on Port State Control for West and Central Africa.

Speaking further, Okonna disclosed that the Academy has initiated registration of its cadets with professional bodies including the Institute of Nautical Studies, Institute of Marine Engineers, Science and Technologists (IMarEST), and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Nigeria.

These affiliations aim to enhance the professional development and global competitiveness of MAN cadets, he said.

“I am proud to celebrate the Honourable Minister, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, for his ingenuity at administering the affairs of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, as the Ministry continues to record the highest score in the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit’s (CRDCU) rating of Ministerial Performance in the Presidential Priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

“I also appreciate the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olufemi Oloruntola, and the hard work of the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS), Hajia Kalthum Ibrahim and the other PMS/ECMS Implementation Team Members for their contributions in ensuring that the Ministry maintains its leadership role in delivering on its mandate towards the achievement of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Nigerians.

“I am confident that this retreat will enhance the capacity of the Academy’s Management to deliver on the 2025 Academy’s deliverables as part of the Ministry’s deliverables for the assigned presidential priorities”.

The retreat culminated in the signing of the 2025 Departmental Performance Bond by Directors and Heads of Departments, witnessed by Hajia Kalthum.

This symbolic act underscores the Academy’s commitment to delivering on its mandate and contributing meaningfully to national development through the marine and blue economy sector.

Thereafter, Dr. Okonna reaffirmed the Academy’s readiness to deploy necessary resources for full ECMS implementation and pledged continued alignment with the Ministry’s strategic goals.