Maiduguri, 18 December, 2020 - Ebuka Arinze Momah of WHO Nigeria wins the Fleet Manager of the Year Award 2020

The 2020 Fleet Forum Fleet Manager of the Year Award has been awarded to Ebuka Arinze Momah of WHO Maiduguri, Nigeria. 

As part of the USAID-funded Fleet Excellence Pro training he followed in April, Ebuka took on the challenge to set an ambitious objective: Reduction of WHO’s fleet cost of operation by 5% within 6 months.

 Although this objective might not seem unique, the way Ebuka approached this challenge certainly is as he used a combination of data analysis and driver engagement to achieve his goal. 

Ebuka understood very well that the drivers were the solution to achieve his objective so he set up a programme to engage, motivate and recognize drivers and did not deviate from it! He found fun ways to communicate with them and ensured they are really a solution to his issue and part of his winning strategy for fleet. One of the actions he took was to introduce a driver eco-challenge, not only focusing on cost reduction but also aiming to reduce the habit of idling.

He recognised drivers and worked with them to identify gaps, tips and recommendations, and share the knowledge to produce common results. 

Throughout the implementation he constantly reflected on the data, the actions, and what the figures could all mean beyond his initial assumptions and targets of fuel consumption reduction. In other words, he turned data into information and based his decisions on it.  Apart from this, he designed new tools and made recommendations to further improve fleet management in the WHO Maiduguri operation. 

Ebuka also understood that to make improvements to the fleet he had to effectively work with other stakeholders beyond the drivers. To this effect, he engaged effectively with his management, programme staff and service providers to make sure that all stakeholders were aligned. 

The results of this hard work are that in 6 months’ time the fuel consumption has gone done with almost 4% and that the hours that the vehicles were idling reduced with almost 3 hours per month. On top of that the operating costs per kilometer reduced from USD 0,13 per kilometer to USD  0,10. A reduction of 23%. Apart from these tangible results, Ebuka and his team also saw soft benefits: strong engagement of the drivers in the improvement actions led to better team work, an open atmosphere between the drivers and improved driving behavior. 

2020 turned out to be a very challenging year in many ways for many people and organisations. Fleet Managers throughout the world were and are providing extra value to their organisations by creating initiatives to lead their teams through challenging times and by operating in a forward matter, with an eye to the future. A future where cost efficiency will remain a high priority for aid and development organisations.  To commemorate these Fleet Managers who have done outstanding jobs, Fleet Forum, sponsored by UPS launched the Fleet Manager of the Year Award. 

Technical Contacts:

Dr Chima Onuekwe; Email: onuekwec [at] who.int; Tel: +234 803 535 4876