Maritime career brought me greatest joy — Essien

The Founder of the Blue Economy Academy, Ubong Essien, has stated that his years in the maritime industry are still the best part of his life.

Essien disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos while speaking during the grand finale of his 20 Days of Eloquence: Nigeria’s First Public Speaking Marathon.

He explained that his days in the maritime sector gave him the opportunity to build a closer relationship with his media friends and gave him profound understanding of the challenges with the maritime press.

“What I meant was that in terms of my relationship, getting to deepen my relationship with my friends in the media, because I was in charge, I was in charge of strategy and communications to the then Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency. That allowed me to see firsthand the challenges that the maritime press in particular faced. In the media, it’s always a confraternity. No matter where you go, you just have to come back; it’s your constituency,” he said.

He added that despite the challenges, he received strong support while working in the sector..

“I am saying it was one of my best moments because even in the midst of challenges, the kind of support and the friendship that we got were amazing. Even when there were things I didn’t know how to handle, it was that partnership that proved very pivotal in helping me serve the chief executive at the time.

So, I have just been recollecting with a fond sense of nostalgia that those were indeed very good days,” Essien stressed.

Speaking on the programme, he said the event was part of activities to mark the 20-year anniversary of the School of Eloquence.

“Today, we are effectively commencing celebrations to mark 20 years of the School of Eloquence. And that is what has brought us here. And our first major programme to mark this milestone is what we call the 20 Days of Eloquence. Nigeria speaks to the world for the world’s longest public speaking relay within a marathon,” he said.

He explained that the programme is a Guinness World Record “for the world’s longest public speaking relay within a marathon”.

A succession of voices addressing various topics and various subject matters.

Essien added that the speakers at the relay delved into sectors including the blue economy, legal eloquence, business and finance, among others.

“We had a day on the blue economy. We had a day on legal eloquence. We had a day on business and finance. And speakers from diverse spaces coming to speak each to various topics, various subject matters,” he stated.

According to him, the event, which was livestreamed for 20 days non-stop, intends to elevate the value of speaking in society and its importance.

“It is very much in line with what the School of Eloquence stands for. We say that our mission is teaching the world to speak. That’s our mission. Teaching the world to speak. And that is really why we actually decided to reach out to our various partners,” he said.

He highlighted that the programme will become an annual programme.

Beyond speaking, Essien has experience in the maritime sector, having served as Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications to a former DG of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, where he gained insight into Nigeria’s maritime industry and policy environment.