Jime: We Must Unite to Rescue Benue from Poor Leadership
By Eromosele Abiodun
The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), Mr. Emmanuel Jime yesterday blamed recruitment process for poor leadership recorded in Benue State for the past 40 years.
Jime, therefore, challenge the people of Benue State to put all hands on deck to construct effective ways to bring about credible leadership in the state.
He made these remarks at a programme organised by the Tiv professionals in Lagos State to honour him on his appointment as the executive secretary of the NSC.
Jime explained that time had come for the people “to decide as a united front to impact on the bad leadership happening back home. Recruitment processes have been left in the hands of selfish elites who really do not wish well for the state.
“We all have a role to play in ensuring that the correct kind of leadership is enthroned back home in Benue. Believe me sincerely there is nothing impossible for us to do if we decide as a united front to impact on what is happening back home.
“I just hope I have made some remarks that would give us food for thought. My job here is to instigate the thought process that will ensure and enable the emergence of a quality leadership that Benue State is in dire need of.
“Except for the four-year period of the first civilian governor of Benue State, I am not too sure that we have had any leadership to be proud of.
“For 40 years after the first civilian governor, we are still going back referring to the past achievements the former governor made. This is a big challenge that has been thrown at us,” he said.
According to him, we cannot keep talking about 40 years of achievement from the past. Time has come for us to put hands together to construct how leadership is decided back home.
The executive secretary admonished his fellow Benue brothers “to work hard to earn the trust of the present administration, commending the President, Muhammadu Buhari, for the appointment.
“The time has come for the Tiv nation to show unity as a people. So, I offer myself to work with the leaders so as to ensure that from today going forward the Tiv nation in Lagos will become a one single united family.”
He also commended the Minister of Transportation for his support to Benue State over the years and reaffirmed his commitment to deliver on his appointment as executive secretary.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure that the leadership in Benue State is a credible leadership,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi said Jime was appointed by the president based on being a perfect gentleman par excellence.
“Initially, we at the ministry and the Nigeria Shippers Council were apprehensive with the appointment of Jime, because we have never worked with a politician as the executive secretary.
“But we only assumed that he is a gentleman and a week into his assumption, we found out that he is as gentle as the former executive secretary of the council,” he said.
He assured staff of the council and stakeholders in the shipping industry of the executive secretary’s competence and ability to transform the sector.
