Book On How Dakuku Peterside Transformed NIMASA Set For Release In 2021

The immediate past Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, Dakuku Peterside, is set to release a book on how NIMASA underwent transformation from “a laggard institution” to a respected government agency under his watch. 

The book entitled ‘Strategic Turnaround: Story Of A Government Agency’ has been scheduled for release in January 2021 by Safari Books Limited. 

To make the book easily accessible, the publisher would be making it available in hardcover, paperback, digital and audio book editions. 

The book would be available for purchase via www.safaribooks.com.ng, AfricanBooksCollective.com, Amazon.com and reputable book shops, said Olayemi Onakunle, the General Manager, Safari Books Limited. 

Onakunle, in a statement sent to THE WHISTLER on Sunday, said: “The 300-page book is a straightforward narrative of events, and turnaround initiatives embarked upon in the Agency in the four years of Dakuku’s management that changed NIMASA from a laggard institution to one of the most respected and admired government agencies in Nigeria. 

“The book critically explores leadership and management principles, both theoretically and practically, in a public sector setting, which anyone serious about improving performance in governance must pay attention to. More than a story of successes and failures, the book highlights critical lessons for those desirous of renewing, repositioning or reforming public sector organisations.

“This 13-chapter book expounds on strategic turnaround and performance optimisation in public sector settings. Readers will gain unusual insight into how government and regulatory agencies work and the complexities of achieving an extraordinary result in the face of the challenge of bureaucracy and multiple stakeholders with varied interests,” he said. 

Onakunle further described the book as, “a detailed piece about excellent goal setting in parastatals and agencies and how to achieve the set goals. Every chapter gives the reader ideas on how to move from goals to results. 

“The book will not only heighten readers’ curiosity from the first page, but will also leave them with lessons that will make them think differently at the end of every chapter. 

As part of efforts to promote the book, the publisher would be organizing leadership coaching and speaking programmes in six cities of the country from July 2021. 

The author, Dakuku Peterside, was a member of the House of Representatives Assembly from 2011 to 2015, representing Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency. 

He was House Committee Chairman on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), supervising strategic national oil and gas establishments such as the Petroleum Equalisation Fund, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company.