The award for the best Federal Ministry, Department and Agency, MDA in Digital Transformation from the Presidency through the Bureau of Public Service Reforms was this weekend conferred on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). Other recipients of the Presidential recognition include the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and Edo State Government. Individual awards were received by Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh OFR, who was honoured with the Distinguished Trailblazers award for exemplary leadership.
Dr Jamoh who led NIMASA Management team to the BPSR Nigeria GovTech Public Service Awards presentation ceremony in Abuja, dedicated both awards to members of staff of NIMASA and the entire stakeholders in the maritime industry. His words “This award from BPSR and by extension the presidency is a call to serve more. We didn’t set out to win any award. I am most delighted at the fact that others are watching every step we take at NIMASA. I dedicate this award to team NIMASA and the entire stakeholders in the maritime industry. We will not relent in our quest to completely digitalise the operations of the Agency with professionalism at the core of the reforms.
The Director General, BPSR, Dasuki Arabi stated that the awardees were chosen based on performance and their achievements. According to him “We assessed the Agencies based on their adoption of ICT in rendering services to citizens in line with the approved e-government master plan of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has maintained that Information Technology (IT) is the way forward, so we don’t have any option than to adopt the use of IT in delivering service in our Ministries Departments and Agencies. I wish to congratulate NIMASA and other Agencies of government for these wonderful awards. I want to congratulate the leadership of the Agency (Jamoh) too for the wonderful work he is doing and I ask him to do more. To whom much is given, much is expected,” Arabi said. Public Sector Reforms consist of deliberate changes to the structures and processes of public sector organisations with the objective of getting them to run efficiently.
