How was your childhood like?
I was born in Port Harcourt to Chief John Ogugua Okeke, an educationist and a prominent politician during the First Republic, and Dame Ezinne Bessie Chiege Okeke (JP), a successful cloth merchant, both now of blessed memory. I am the youngest of five accomplished siblings, consisting of four sisters and one brother. My upbringing was in a loving and harmonious environment. We are devout Catholics, and my mother made sure we attend daily Mass and said the Rosary before bedtime. My mother was the disciplinarian, while my father, a man of few words, knew how to guide us in the right direction. My childhood was filled with happiness and cherished memories, to the extent that, if given the choice in another life, I would wish for the same parents and siblings.
My father believed in providing equal educational opportunities for all his children, ensuring that each of us had the opportunity to attend university. Three of my siblings pursued their studies in the USA, while my immediate elder sister and I completed our education in Nigeria, before she too embarked on further studies in the United Kingdom. Being the last child, my mother fondly called me ‘Odunwa’ and insisted I did my university education in Nigeria so as to be close to her. I came from a family that valued education and provided us with opportunities to pursue it.
Tell us about your experience and position in Nigeria Ports Authority?
I got to the highest public service position. General Manager. My career has been a very wonderful experience. I started as a Level 9 officer. I grew through the ranks. I headed so many committees and sensitive positions.
At a point, I was the coordinator for the International Maritime Association. I was appointed as a port manager. It’s by merit, not a gender thing. It had to do with operations. I was the fourth person in the country to have headed a port in Nigeria. During my tenure, I was in Rivers Port when it became 100 years. I celebrated it. I was the first woman to be appointed Port Manager within that 100 years. This year it should be 110 years. We started operations in 1914. It was only this year in 2024 that another woman was appointed as the port manager.
As a Port Manager, tell us about your daily routine. What did your work entail?
Managing a Port is not an easy task. I get to office in the mornings, I’m faced with daily operations briefings – reviewing reports on overnight operations, vessels arrivals and departures, cargo handling activities, meetings, and other incidents. I have meetings with key department heads, conduct facility inspections. I ensure that the terminal operators and other operators in the port comply with national and international regulations. The Security of the port is priority. The port had the police, DSS, the Navy as well as our NPA Port Security to ensure safety of goods and infrastructure and that those people we call wharf rats (local and petty thieves) did not come stealing goods from warehouses or attacking the vessels so that there would be seamless operations of the port.
I enjoyed a lot of support from my Managing Director and he was confident in my ability to run the port well. I had a good team, my staff supported me to ensure balancing operational efficiency with safety, financial management and strategic growth of the port.
I always had stakeholder engagement with the community leaders, media interactions as well as managing the port’s public image. I had to deal with after-hour monitoring, being available for any emergencies or critical incidents that may occur after regular business hours.
Was there any time you faced discrimination as a female boss?
They enjoyed my tenure. Initially I faced some challenges. I had to bring them to my side. I faced several obstacles but I was able to bring them together. I came in as a port manager and they were not comfortable with me sitting as the general manager. So they were wondering, what is this woman coming to do? But I had to prove myself. Since I left, freight forwarders, shipping companies, union, my fellow workers still keep in touch with me. I was brought in as the General Manager, Special Duties. I was made General Manager, Pension and Investments. Also, I was moved to become General Manager, Servicom.
What challenges did you face there which are still prevalent?
One of the challenges that I observed was the gender imbalance in the appointment of women to key positions within the industry. Upon my entry into the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), I noticed that there were few women in top management roles, and no woman had been appointed as a Port Manager. Over time, we saw a slight improvement with the appointment of one woman and later two, and I later became the fourth woman in Nigeria appointed to lead a port, marking the highest number of women in such roles across the six ports following the concessioning of NPA. There had been four more female port managers since then.
I consider myself fortunate to have been entrusted with significant responsibilities early in my career. I encountered relatively few challenges, primarily because I had the privilege of working with leaders who had unwavering confidence in my abilities and believed in my capacity to successfully execute assignments. Some of these individuals were my role models, such as the late Ms Princewill and the late Chief Mrs. Florence Chukwura-Iwezulu. I also had the guidance and mentorship of leaders like Chief Adebayo Sarumi, OFR, for whom I served as a Personal Assistant in Human Resources during his tenure as Managing Director. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work under the leadership of Habib Abdullahi, during his time as Managing Director, when I served as the Port Manager of the Rivers Port Complex. These leaders were advocates for providing women with opportunities to excel. Presently, we are witnessing progress, as more women are assuming the roles of General Managers and Assistant General Managers, leading critical divisions that are instrumental to the success of the authority.
Looking ahead, my hope is to witness a balanced representation in the appointment of Port Managers, with an aim for three women and three men at any given time managing the six ports within the federation. Furthermore, I am encouraged by the presence of women in high-ranking positions within other maritime agencies.
Tell us how it was working in NPA years back. Has anything changed?
When I entered the industry, more women worked as secretaries, clerical staff, front desk officers, and less visible roles. It is so heartwarming to see women improve themselves, update their skills with the advent of technology – what I will call computer age. Many women are now educated and have university degrees in those previously exclusive male disciplines, some have doctorate degrees and have taken up roles that were the exclusive preserves of men. These days a lot of women who have always been bold, assertive, deliberate, and intentional about their goals in life, have now been given the access to exhibit those natural attributes. They are no longer confined to the back seat. The younger women now have the support of successful and professional women who have become role models, can inspire, motivate, and empower others. Personally, I am an intentional influencer and have encouraged, supported, mentored and motivated young women to become better versions of themselves and to reach the zenith of their career. A lot of associations like Women in Shipping and Trading Association (Wista), African Women in Maritime (Wimafrica), Women in Logistics and Transport (Wilat) and a host of other advocacy groups provide platform for women to network, share experiences, mentor, and support each other. I will say that women are getting more support in the current dispensation.
Can you share with us some of the memorable moments in your career?
One of the most memorable moments in my career was when I assumed the role of Port Manager at Rivers Port, which, in its century-long history, had never witnessed a female head of the port. Upon my arrival, it became apparent that some of the men were openly resistant. A few female colleagues were less than friendly, and various stakeholders, including the union, shipping companies, freight forwarders, and local communities contracted to work at the port, were apprehensive about the forthcoming changes and sceptical about a woman taking charge.
In facing these formidable challenges, my unwavering trust in God, my background in human resources, and the invaluable experience I had gained from attending international maritime meetings and visiting other ports outside the country in my capacity as NPA’s Liaison Officer to PMAWCA, provided me with the foundation to develop survival strategies that carried me through this demanding period. I am profoundly grateful to Mr Obumneme, the Port Manager of Warri Port, and his able Personal Assistant, Mr. Adegbite, who graciously shared their guidance on how to navigate potential pitfalls.
My extension of a hand of friendship to the female Heads of Departments was instrumental in winning support. Additionally, my transparent and open approach to administration earned the trust of my male colleagues and the stakeholders.
Another significant challenge I encountered was during my tenure as the General Manager of Superannuation and Investment. Dealing with pensioners, who often harboured suspicions about management’s intentions and saw any changes made by a female head as contrary to their interests, was not an easy task. The staff within the division, largely male-dominated, also had concerns about shifts in the status quo.
During my time in this division, I had the opportunity to draw attention to the then Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman, regarding the need to improve workers’ gratuity upon retirement. Thankfully, this proposal received approval, and today, workers enjoy better retirement benefits. The journey to grow pension investments to an impressive level was challenging and immensely gratifying.
These experiences have not only shaped my career but also strengthened my resolve to overcome obstacles and make meaningful contributions to the organisations I serve.
You were the last president of the Committee of Friends for Humanity (COFFHA). Tell us some of the achievements of this organisation over the years.
We just felt we should do charity. We have done a lot with homes and have built and equipped emergency centre in Isolo Medical Centre. While in Gbagada General Hospital, we donated kidney machine and wheelchairs. Then at the medical centre in Isolo, we built it from scratch.
We now felt we should reach out to those on the street, those who are unable to have a full meal a day. We now made it as part of our annual project to feed the hungry; wherever they come from does not matter. Once they are present within the vicinity where we are doing our programme, we feed you for the day. Even if they have food at home, it would be in their mind that some good have been done for their lives, at least for that day.
We have a community we adopted – Okun Ajah, where we built a skill acquisition centre. We adopted that community and we normally do medical outreach. Nigeria Ports Authority’s Medical Department Division partnered with us and gave us nurses, doctors and medicines to assist our outreach. They identified with what we are doing and have enjoyed our kindness for sometimes. We as COFFHA, we know that is our community. People will always ask us why we are doing this activity. Incidentally, we came from different states. We all live here; it was difficult going from one state to another. We want government to partner with us. This will enable us have a bigger reach. We started doing widows empowerment in Lagos.
And in the course of us doing charity, again, we partnered with Google and trained about 90 to 100 women on digital skills acquisition. So their businesses would now be on Google search engines. It’s a big advert. When you type and their businesses pop up. It’s not easy penetrating. We pray we would have other collaborations on time. So we are not relenting.
The skill acquisition centre is also a way of assisting the government. If you train a woman with a skill, if a woman has skills it means that is able to have sustainable livelihood – an income that runs continuously. You will use that money with whatever you make from your trade to feed your family.
Tell us the key thing you did as the president of COFFHA?
During my tenure, a lot was also achieved because we went to several homes. We frequently visited these homes and do certain donations for them, especially as regards their welfare. We were able to get recognition from the United Nations. In 2021, COFFHA was granted special status. We became one of those United Nations NGOs. We were able to commence the construction of a skill acquisition centre up to lintel level. We were well positioned and located. These are some of the things we did under my tenure. It was a four-year thing.