Making Progress, Bleeding from Leakages and Broken edges

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

The minister of the Marine and Blue Economy ministry, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, has demonstrated leadership within his ministry, notwithstanding the issues and challenges encountered by stakeholders and operators in Nigeria’s maritime industry.

From getting Nigeria into the governing Council of the International Maritime Organization, IMO, after over a decade absence and the many failed attempts to access the Council, Nigeria now stands tall in the global maritime community on the premise of the concrete steps taken to stay compliant, aligned and attuned with international best practices.

Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, attested to Oyetola’s leadership when he attributed the transformation of the nation’s maritime sector to the impact of the Minister and reforms efforts by the federal government.

Acknowledging that a lot is left undone, Dantsoho told participants at a recent Blue Economy Conference that  “It is worrisome that Nigeria, despite controlling over 60 per cent of West Africa’s GDP, handles only about 25 per cent of the region’s cargo traffic. This clearly shows that we have not fully optimized our potentials,”

“The time has come for a paradigm shift in the structure of Nigeria’s economy towards the full utilization of our marine resources. Our port system, if properly harnessed, can serve as a major driver of economic growth”

“By virtue of our strategic location, market size and economic strength, Nigeria is well-positioned to function as the maritime hub for West Africa,” Dantsoho said.

The UNILAG Maritime Centre

The Minister has commissioned the Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS) Multipurpose Building at the University of Lagos, UNILAG.

Oyetola and UNILAG management team during the commissioning

“The future of the blue economy will be shaped not just by natural endowments, but by the quality of minds we nurture within institutions such as this” the minister said during the commissioning.

The facility, donated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), after many years of leadership change at NIMASA, is a demonstration of the many gains when continuity is sustained and programs/policies executed without demonizing previous leaders-country and citizens benefit when the general good is prioritized.

We hear the facility is equipped with modern lecture rooms, laboratories, and specialized facilities to support teaching, research, and innovation in the maritime sector-We plead that these be put to effective use especially in the area of research for the advancement of humanity on all fronts.

NSDP Graduates USCG Visit/Inspection

 The event further accentuates Oyetola’s prowess at driving change and enforcing progressive initiates.

The disclosure by Oyetola  that 2,459 Nigerians have been sponsored under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) in  countries such as  the United Kingdom, Egypt, the Philippines, India, and Romania with 1,088 beneficiaries earning their Certificates of Competency, CoC, is as gladdening as it is worrisome against the background of “Where are the ships”?

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has received and congratulated the CoC clutching NSDP products, charging them to remain disciplined and committed to excellence.

“You have weathered the storm; the future will be easier for you. We are proud of you” Mobereola told the seafarers.

USCG Visit/Inspection

Last week, a delegation from the United States Coast Guard, USCG, led by the Chief of International Port Security Operations, Mr. Bryan Ullmer, was in Nigeria on a five-day assessment visit to key port facilities in Lagos.

The USCG team and NIMASA Management shared the view that considerable progress is being made; “We have maintained a longstanding partnership with Nigeria dating back to the PICOMSS era, and what we are seeing today reflects measurable progress in port security compliance” Ullmer said

“We recognize that while notable progress has been made, more effort is required, and we will continue to engage proactively to ensure the complete removal of the Condition of Entry on Nigerian-bound vessels,” Dr. Mobereola assured

The Sea Empowerment & Research Center, SEREC.

Even as we launch, commission and celebrate successes, Director General of the Sea Empowerment & Research Center (SEREC), Dr. Eugene Nweke is insistent that there are yawning gaps and leakages from which Nigeria is hemorrhaging uncontrollably with devastating consequences.

In several interventions and advisory, such as:

1. “Maritime Reform at a Crossroads: Data Signals, Export Concerns, and the Urgent Need for Execution Discipline”
2. Ports of Plenty, Pipelines of LOSS: A National Reawakening Call on Maritime Enabled Resource Leakages”

SEREC makes urgent calls and warns on the clear and present dangers of not reforming Nigerian Ports:

“The strategic choice is clear,  “Fix Nigerian ports—or inadvertently fund the growth of neighboring ports.”

“This is not a theoretical risk—it is already happening, Cargo flows to where systems work best, not necessarily where geography dictates” It is our view that taking action on the points and issues raise by SEREC could further accelerate maritime growth in Nigeria.

A Cry Across the River

 The Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, has raised the alarm that foreign actors are engaged in continuous, unauthorized extraction of resources in the state.

“At a time when Nigeria faces a budget deficit of about ₦6 trillion, these illegal operations are generating, by conservative estimates, over $10 billion monthly, failure to act could result in the loss of strategic coastal assets” the Governor bemoaned.

Describing the situation as both economic sabotage and a grave national security risk, Otu’s outcry may not be new nor peculiar as coastal states and others bleed from massive exploitations by local and international agents/agencies.

The above are in the purview of minister Oyetola. We are confident that he has the men and resources which if deployed could reverse the worries expressed.

Observation: Curious Development

Is the visit by Board/Governing Council members of some agencies of government in the maritime sector not a breach of mandate? Are they in competition with the CEOs for relevance or management of the agencies? Again, the minister’s firm directive on this developing trend is deemed necessary.