The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, has assured that Nigeria is to become a premier maritime nation soon, as efforts are in top gear to harness the country’s marine resources sustainably to position her as a premier maritime nation.
Oyetola shared this vision during an interactive session with League of Maritime Editors in Lagos yesterday. He informed that the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy; a policy that leverages on technology and private sector initiatives, is nearing Federal Executive Council approval.
According to him, the Ministry carries out its mandate through Agencies it superintends and so far has recorded significant achievements on many fronts. One of them being the modernization and expansion of ports, including Tin Can Island and Apapa Port Complexes, by NPA which is soon to commence and is projected to generate over 20,000 jobs.
Also, in Fishery and Aquaculture; he noted that “Fishery and Aquaculture is central to our vision to grow Nigeria’s Blue Economy sector, the Ministry’s strategic focus is to upscale fish production in a sustainable manner, tapping into the full spectrum of our marine resources.”
Speaking further, he disclosed that Nigeria achieved 100% compliance in the 2024 Turtle Excluder Devices Re-certification exercise held in September last year; an exercise embarked on by the US Department of State. The re-certification, according to Oyetola, facilitates seafood exports to the USA, EU, and other markets.
“A National Fleet Implementation Committee has been established to midwife a private-sector-led national flag carrier. This initiative is to reposition the maritime sector and generate revenue for the government,” he informed.
The Minister further informed that in the period under review (January-November, 2024), the Ministry increased revenue to the Government coffers by 77%.
Regarding vying for Category C seat in International Maritime Organization (IMO) the Minister said: “In furtherance to our improved international posture in world maritime governance, we have proposed a bid to contest election into the International Maritime Organization Council (Category C) during the 34th IMO Assembly scheduled to hold in London in November/December, 2025. I am pleased to inform you that Mr. President has approved, and the IMO has been notified. We have begun preparation processes.”
The Ministry and its agencies according to the Minister are working assiduously to revamp the Eastern Ports as a way of decongesting the Lagos ports. Aside from this, the Inland Dry Ports in Funtua, Kano, and Kaduna are also supporting trade operations while Oyo, Ogun, Abia, Plateau and Borno are in various stages of completion.
To further facilitate trade, the Minister said: “Government is implementing the National Single Window project. This digital platform will streamline trade compliance processes, link ports with relevant government agencies and Stakeholders and create a seamless, efficient system. Complementing this initiative, the Ministry and NPA are finalizing the Ports Community System, an electronic platform to centralize and automate processes among Stakeholders in the in ports services.”
Of note too, is the fact that through the efforts of the Ministry, its agencies and other Stakeholders, the shipping lanes that transverse West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea have witnessed zero-piracy for a record of 3 years due to the implementation of the Deep Blue Sea Project and Falcon Eye Surveillance Systems which feature advance surveillance and response systems.
On the issue of Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds, the Minister assured that its implementation is being worked out; stressing that it is a revolving loan that must be paid back for others to benefit from.
Other initiatives, like the planned comprehensive mapping of marine resources by Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, first of its kind in the last three decades is a result of the collaborative efforts of the Ministry and its Agencies at repositioning the sector
Furthermore, as a signal that the Ministry and its agencies are getting it right, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) during the 120 Day Regulatory Reform Accelerator (RRA) in 2024, acknowledged the Ministry’s exceptional performance, earning it a letter of commendation.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President and Head of the Central Results Coordinating Delivery Unit (CRCDU), Hadiza Bala-Usman, recognized the Ministry as one of the top four performing Ministries in the same year, demonstrating a commitment to the Performance Bond the Minister signed with the President.
Concluding, the Minister expressed the belief that the interactive session provides a valuable opportunity to engage on key sectoral issues and foster collaborations for shared progress.
Earlier, the President, League of Maritime Editors (LOME), Remi Itie, enumerated a lot of concerns bothering on: security at the ports, revenue leakages, overlapping of functions amongst agencies, non-disbursement of the CVFF and urged government to resolve them so that Nigeria can assume her pride place among maritime nations.
She spoke passionately on the need to monitor fishing vessels operating in our territorial waters. According to her, “Many fishing vessels are operating in our waters without us getting returns of the required revenue.”
Signed
Anastasia Ogbonna
D Information & (PR)
