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By Steve Agbota
Stakeholders from Nigeria’s maritime, oil and gas sectors, as well as government circles, converged in Lagos to celebrate Mr. Sylvester Egede, former Assistant General Manager at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on the launch of his memoir, Lion of the Port Corridor: Strategy is Everything.
The event drew high praise from industry and government leaders, including NPA Managing Director Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, Chairman of Sifax Group Mr. Taiwo Afolabi, and Member of the Federal House of Representatives, Jonathan Ukhodiko. They commended Egede’s remarkable contributions and commitment to excellence across his career, noting that the memoir provides a valuable insight into the life of a professional who has significantly shaped Nigeria’s maritime sector.
In a review of the book, former NPA General Manager of Corporate and Strategic Communications, Captain Iheanacho Ebubeogu, said it chronicles Egede’s life from childhood to adulthood, highlighting how parental upbringing influenced his personal development and career trajectory.
Represented by the General Manager of the MD’s Office, Mr. Fatai Oladipo, NPA Managing Director Dr. Dantsoho congratulated Egede for documenting his experiences. “This memoir offers lessons that other professionals can learn from,” Oladipo said on behalf of the MD, “while also recognizing Mr. Egede’s contributions to the development of Nigeria’s ports during his tenure.”
Sifax Group Managing Director Mr. Taiwo Afolabi, represented by Captain Ibrahim Olugbade, also lauded Egede for taking the time to commit his experiences to print. “The insights captured in this book will provide guidance for corporate professionals across diverse fields, both now and in the future,” he remarked.
Speaking at the launch, Egede revealed that the memoir was inspired by his career journey and the role of strategy in shaping both his personal and professional life. He singled out a defining moment in his career, the resolution of traffic congestion between Mile 2 and the Tin Can Island Port corridor as the impetus for writing the book.
“I have been a strategy person from childhood,” Egede explained. “What prompted me to write this book was the clearance of the traffic gridlock between Mile 2 and the Tin Can Island Port corridor. We didn’t need force or guns to persuade the truckers. What the country had attempted for years through committees, I resolved using a SWOT analysis strategy.
The truckers agreed to leave the road, and they did so before the deadline we set.”
He added: “This shows that solutions often surround you—you just need to look deeply. If you analyze a situation carefully, you can solve any problem.”
Other dignitaries at the event included Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) Mr. Bolaji Sunmola; President of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) Chief Remi Ogungbemi; former Director General of NIMASA Barr. Temisan Omatseye; and Managing Director of Greenview Development Nigeria Limited, Mr. Simeon Omole, among others.
The memoir not only celebrates Egede’s professional journey but also underscores the power of strategic thinking and proactive leadership in addressing complex challenges within Nigeria’s maritime sector.
