The Board of Directors of the Niger-Benue Transport Company (NBTC) Ltd has appointed Mrs Oluseyi Oluyede as its new Managing Director with the task of ensuring the company still functions well in the next 100 years.
Oluyede, a 2001 Economics graduate of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, was unveiled, on Friday, after the company’s board meeting at its corporate headquarters in Ovwian near Warri in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.
The Master’s Degree holder in Business Administration from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, emerged the first Nigerian female MD since the company was founded 60 years ago on May 10, 1959.
TribuneOnline reports NBTC is one of the first vessel repairs and chartering companies in the maritime industry in Nigeria which renders professional services for ship repair and maintenance, shipbuilding, vessels, Chartered and Marine Logistics, among others.
Speaking after she was unveiled, 40-year-old Mrs Oluyede described Warri as a good business destination and advised companies that left for insecurity reasons to return.
“Warri is a safe place for doing business that is why we are still here for the past 60 years.
“We want those who have left to know that Warri is safe for business.
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“NBTC has always been synonymous with Delta so we are not going anywhere. Warri is a very significant area in terms of servicing the oil and gas industry.
“NBTC is here and will continue to be here to project the good side of the Niger Delta region,” she noted while unveiling her blueprint.
Oluyede, who joined NBTC in October 2003 as a Technical Assistant (Economics), said that the company would utilise graduates from the Nigerian Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Warri South West to address it’s workforce challenges.
She disclosed that in the past, the company had dearth of manpower in operating its vessels which resulted in hiring skilled workers from the Philippines and other countries.
She added that the company would now focus on fabrication to expand its horizon in line with the global changes in the oil and gas industry, noting that “my challenge, therefore, is to make sure this company keeps floating, making profits, and keep the legacy of the company that has been handed over to me.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NBTC, Mr Moses Taiga, has urged staff of the company to give the new MD maximum support to enable her to excel in her new appointment.
The Urhobo chief said that the company had a robust relationship with the host community (Ovwian) in Udu Local Government Area of Delta, with a subsisting training programme for the youth of the community.
The unveiling of Mrs Oluyede’s was witnessed by the founder of NBTC, Chief Jean Gay, His Royal Highness Dr E. O. Delekpe, Udu Owhoru 1, Ovie of Udu Kingdom, President General, Udu Kingdom, Chief Jefia Notoma and representatives of the company’s shareholders.
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