A former Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dakuku Peterside, has urged the Federal Government to make business process re-engineering a national policy.
He said such a policy has the potential to unlock the nation’s economy and make it more viable.
Peterside further noted that re-engineering governance processes by eliminating bottlenecks that hinder production and commercial activities would create jobs and boost economic growth.
He stated this while delivering a keynote address at the maiden International Conference of the Department of Business Administration, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, on Thursday.
The conference had as its theme: “Business Re-engineering: A Catalyst for Business Development.”
He emphasised that for Nigeria to progress, there must be a deliberate effort by the government to re-engineer business processes and ensure that investors and entrepreneurs have seamless access to incentives that drive production.
He said, “Business re-engineering is the disciplined response to our current reality. It is how firms can become competitive. It is how government becomes enabling. It is how trust is built.
“It is how leakage is reduced. It is how we can grow exports. It is how jobs can expand.
“So, if Nigeria commits to re-engineering at full scale, not in fragments, we will see a payoff in stronger firms, better jobs, improved public services, higher investment, and a more inclusive economic future.”
Peterside added, “Business re-engineering should not be optional. Adopting business process re-engineering at both the firm and national levels as a strategy should be imperative.”
The ex-NIMASA DG observed that although Nigeria is blessed with crude oil and abundant mineral resources, it remains underdeveloped, attributing this largely to inefficiencies in business administration.
He said, “As a country, we can boast of crude oil. We can boast about our large population. But it’s not about what we have.
“It is about how well we organise what we have, how well we produce, how well we make decisions, how well we render services, and how well we scale ideas into jobs. Nigeria operates far below its potential, and this is why business re-engineering matters.”
He urged Nigeria to learn from Singapore, which treats business process re-engineering as a core aspect of public sector modernisation in ports, tax administration, and infrastructure production. Singapore’s Productivity 21 programme systematically examined processes and addressed loopholes inhibiting free trade.
Peterside challenged the Department of Business Administration at IAUE to stand out by becoming highly sought-after for providing business expertise in Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor of IAUE, Prof. Okechukwu Onuchukwu, while declaring the conference open, said it would educate the university community and the public on the relationship between business operations and economic growth.
Onuchukwu added, “The institution has supported the hosting of over 200 conferences because of the benefits to students, lecturers, and other university members.
“In conferences, you interact, express yourself, particularly in your field of study, and allow others in your field to know your position and area of expertise.”
Earlier, the Head of Department of Business Administration at IAUE, Dr. James Vinazor, explained that the conference was designed to bring together stakeholders from different economic sectors to examine challenges, share insights, explore best practices, and identify opportunities amidst economic hardship.