By Harry Awurumibe
President Bola Ahned Tinubu last Friday approved the appointment of Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Dr. Dantsoho holds a Doctorate Degree in Maritime Technology from Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, and a Master’s Degree in International Transport from Cardiff University of Wales, United Kingdom.
Before his appointment, he had served in various roles in the Nigerian Ports Authority as Assistant General Manager; Technical Assistant to the Managing Director; Port Manager, Onne Port; and Principal Manager, Tariff & Billing.
Here are 10 things Nigerians should ordinarily know about the new helmsman at the nation’s premier maritime agency.
10 Things to Know About the New NPA MD, Abubakar Dantsoho (Ph.D)
- Early Life and Education: Born in Jalingo, Taraba State, Abubakar Dantsoho served his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in 1992
- Professional Experience: With over 25 years in Maritime Technology, International Transport, and Port Management, Dantsoho is known for his analytical, data-driven approach and versatility as a team player.
- Academic Background: He holds a Ph.D. in Maritime Technology from Liverpool John Moores University, UK (2015), an MSc in International Transport from Cardiff University, UK (1999), and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria (1992). He started his stint at the NPA in 1993.
- Professional Memberships: Dantsoho is a member of numerous professional bodies including the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, the Chartered Institute of Transport, the Institute of Logistics and Transport of Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Shipping, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the Nautical Institute, UK. He is also a member of the Ikoyi Club 1938.
- Career Milestones: He has served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Transport, Assistant General Manager at NPA, and Technical Assistant to the Managing Director. His roles have included Port Manager at Onne Port and Principal Manager of Tariff & Billing.
- Awards and Recognitions: Dantsoho received the NPA 25-year long service merit award in 2019 and a letter of commendation for successfully berthing the EGINA FPSO Ship in Nigerian territorial waters in 2018.
- Consultancy Projects: He has been involved in significant consultancy studies including a 25-year Ports Development Masterplan by Crown Agent, UK, and World Bank projects on port concession assessment and private sector participation in Lagos’ integrated transport system.
- International Delegations: Dantsoho has represented Nigeria at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London in 2010 and attended the World Ports Conference of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) in Busan, South Korea in 2011.
- Technical Expertise: He has extensive technical expertise in various MS Office applications, operating systems, programming languages, and data management tools. His proficiency includes using Mercury Quality Center 9, JIRA, Selenium IDE, Selenium RC, Selenium WebDriver, BDD Cucumber, Maven system methodologies, Waterfall, Agile, and Scrum.
- Personal Interests: Outside of his professional life, Dantsoho enjoys reading, traveling, and jogging.
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