As Media Adviser Highlights Minister’s Achievements 

Nigeria’s maritime sector has entered a decisive phase of renewal following a series of far-reaching interventions by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, Dr. Bolaji Akinola highlights the minister efforts in this special report:

The marine and blue economy sector has been decisively unlocked for genuine growth and development under Oyetola’s leadership, with several long-standing jinxes — once thought permanent — successfully broken.

The Minister’s actions since assuming office in August 2023, and most notably throughout 2025, have dismantled obstacles that constrained the sector for decades.

His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister, Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

These reforms have restored confidence, improved performance and repositioned the marine and blue economy as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

Foremost among these achievements was the resolution of the notorious Apapa gridlock, which for over 20 years paralysed the Lagos port corridor and severely disrupted trade.

By early 2024, sustained policy coordination, operational discipline and infrastructure optimisation delivered lasting relief to Apapa and its environs.

The clearing of the gridlock significantly reduced cargo dwell time, lowered logistics costs, enhanced port efficiency and removed a major disincentive to investment, effectively restoring the Lagos ports as functional gateways for national and regional commerce.

Another long-standing setback, was Nigeria’s prolonged absence from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council. He noted that Nigeria’s return to the IMO Council in 2025, after 14 years outside the global maritime decision-making body, followed a keenly contested election and marked a major restoration of the country’s international maritime standing. Achieved under Minister Oyetola’s focused leadership, the feat strengthened Nigeria’s influence in shaping global maritime regulations, reinforced its leadership role in Africa and reaffirmed international confidence in its maritime governance.

The Minister secured approval in 2025 for Nigeria’s first comprehensive port upgrade and modernisation in over 50 years, breaking another jinx that left the nation’s ports operating on obsolete infrastructure;  signaling the beginning of a transformative era that will align Nigerian ports with global standards, boost competitiveness, attract larger vessels and position the country as a maritime and logistics hub for West and Central Africa.

Another landmark by Minister Oyetola, is the issuance of compliance certificates for the Bakassi and the Ondo Deep Sea Ports to the Governors of Cross River and Ondo States respectively.

The issuance of the certificates represents a critical regulatory breakthrough that clears the way for accelerated investment, construction and eventual operations of the two ports, further expanding Nigeria’s port capacity and strengthening regional trade connectivity.

The establishment of the Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB) in 2025 as the resolution of a 16-year stalemate that had stifled access to maritime finance.

With the RMDB now in place, long-term funding is expected to flow into shipping, port development and maritime services, providing the financial backbone required for sustained sectoral growth and deeper regional integration.

Equally significant, was the approval granted by the Minister in 2025 for the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to commence the long-awaited disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF). For over two decades, the CVFF remained idle. Its activation, represents a major turning point for indigenous ship ownership, enabling Nigerian operators to acquire modern vessels, expand capacity and compete more effectively in both coastal and international trade.

“Beyond these milestones,  Minister Oyetola recorded a historic policy breakthrough with the development and approval by the Federal Executive Council in May 2025 of Nigeria’s first-ever National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.

The policy is a watershed framework that provides a coherent, long-term roadmap for harnessing the country’s vast marine resources which  integrates shipping, ports, fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism, offshore energy, seabed resources and environmental sustainability into a unified national strategy, eliminating fragmentation, improving inter-agency coordination and providing clarity and certainty for investors.

The policy  lays the institutional and regulatory foundation needed to maximise economic value, create jobs, protect marine ecosystems and ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.

Other notable gains in maritime security under Minister Oyetola’s leadership, is the sustained deployment and effective coordination of assets under the Deep Blue Project which have helped to  maintain zero piracy incidents in Nigerian waters-which  has strengthened Nigeria’s reputation as a safer maritime domain, boosted investor confidence and reinforced the country’s leadership in regional maritime security.

Under Oyetola’s guidance and leadership, Nigeria recorded an increase of 300,000 metric tonnes in fish production in 2025 — the first of such rise in over a decade-a clear testament to the Minister’s determination to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the country’s heavy dependence on fish importation, while boosting food security, employment and value creation across the fisheries and aquaculture value chain.

The cumulative impact of these achievements is the laying of a solid foundation for the sustainable growth and development of the marine and blue economy sector. While notable milestones have been recorded since August 2023, 2025 stands out as a defining year marked by bold reforms and tangible outcomes.

The Minister remains firmly committed to supporting indigenous ship owners and pursuing policies that will enable them to thrive and compete on equal footing with foreign operators.

With long-standing constraints now dismantled, said the sector is poised for accelerated growth as Minister Oyetola builds on the gains already recorded to deliver even greater outcomes in the years ahead.

Dr. Bolaji Akinola is the Special Adviser to the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy
Bukar Dipcharima House, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.