Exposing women to management training programmes can serve to empower them to be better on their jobs and give overall improved efficiency in their contributions at the work place.
Mrs. Funmilayo Olotu, the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex (LPC), expressed the above at the Calabar Port, while giving her remarks on the importance of giving women opportunities to be trained in management.
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| Some staff members of the LPC and the Calabar Port in a group photograph with Prof. Olakunle Iyanda, President of NIM, and Port Managers of the LPC and the Calabar Port. |
Olotu was in company of the President of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Prof. Olakunle Iyanda, and female staff members of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) LPC, who were in Calabar for the Women in Management training, as they paid a courtesy visit to the Calabar Port Manager, Mrs. Marie Asein.
Sharing her experience and gains of attending management training programmes, Olotu said that she decided on supporting other women get training opportunities, seeing that it helped in capacity building to make the women better people and with greater value added to the work they did.
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| Port Manager, Mrs. Marie Asein, and some staff of Calabar Port with the President of NIM, Prof. Olakunle Iyande. |
She said: “At the Port level, we want to see how we can bring up more women. After attending a Women in Management Conference, which I sponsored myself to, I made up my mind then that if
opportunity ever presents itself for me in a leadership position I will give other women the opportunity.
opportunity ever presents itself for me in a leadership position I will give other women the opportunity.
“So, the first opportunity I had then was when I was made personal assistant to the Executive Director, Marine and Operations. From that office for four solid years, we were taking five people from Marina, and one from each location under the office of the ED M&O, and we sponsored
them.”
them.”
Olotu, however, stated that the criterion for selection of the women remained their commitment to duty and excellent performance on the job, as greater performance is still expected of them.
Her words: “At the Lagos Port Complex, you will be surprised at the combination of people that came. Some are here because they won medals in the recently concluded Nigerian Ports Authority Sports Association (NIPOSA) games. Some are here because they scored high marks in the recent promotion examination. Some are here because they have shown capacity in their various departments.
“I didn’t bring you here because you are a woman. I brought you here because you have shown capacity, and it is my own way of saying “to whom much is given, much is expected.” So, I am saying thank you.”
On her part, the Port Manager, Calabar Port, Mrs Asein, said she was encouraged and promised to take such management training opportunities for women in Calabar Port.
Speaking also, the NIM President, Prof. Iyanda, appreciated the NPA management for taking the management conference for women seriously, and granting more women the opportunity.
He encouraged the gathering to imbibe the philosophy of NIM as their own personal philosophy in the course of their duties as resources managers, who understand the importance of management with integrity.
He said: “Integrity is our greatest source of strength, and that is why wherever we go we preach management with integrity. Management that puts service above self, and our code of conduct is
a very noble one.
a very noble one.
“We preach it as a model and a personal philosophy for every person who holds a position of trust, where you are managing resources that belong to others.”
On a final note, Mrs. Olotu urged the women to keep the flag of excellence flying, in order to make the NPA proud, especially all the women, including the present managing director, who have held very sensitive management positions commendably.
