Says Nigeria undergoing most ambitious seaports upgrade in 5 decades Cites zero piracy in Nigeria’s territorial waters for 4 consecutive years States plans advancing to revive national shipping carrier through
Says Nigeria undergoing most ambitious seaports upgrade in 5 decades
Cites zero piracy in Nigeria’s territorial waters for 4 consecutive years
States plans advancing to revive national shipping carrier through PPP
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, at the weekend stated that Nigeria’s maritime sector has undergone transformation since President Bola Tinubu established the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy three years ago, with the ministry generating N1.83 trillion in 2025, representing a 160 per cent increase from the N700.79 billion recorded in 2023.
Oyetola also stated that indigenous shipping capacity remains another priority area for him, stressing that plans were underway to revive a national shipping carrier through a Public-private Partnership (PPP) while the long-awaited process of disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to enable Nigerian shipowners to acquire modern vessels, had commenced.
“We cannot build a truly blue economy if Nigerians remain spectators in their own maritime industry,” he said.
Oyetola said the ministry had moved swiftly to unlock the economic potential of Nigeria’s 853-kilometre coastline and extensive inland waterways, positioning the marine and blue economy as a major driver of revenue, trade, security and job creation.
In a statement in Abuja, the minister attributed the increase in earnings to regulatory reforms, stronger revenue assurance, digitisation and the systematic closure of financial leakages.
“At the heart of our mandate is a simple but powerful objective: to turn Nigeria’s vast marine resources into sustainable economic value for Nigerians,” Oyetola noted.
The reform drive, he said, was reinforced in May 2025 with the approval of Nigeria’s first National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.
Oyetola said the policy ended decades of fragmented approaches to the sector by establishing a unified framework covering shipping, fisheries, offshore energy, marine biotechnology and other emerging opportunities.
“This policy gives us a clear roadmap. It provides the predictability and transparency investors need while ensuring that our marine resources are developed sustainably,” he said.
The minister also said that port modernisation has been another major plank of the transformation. He said the ministry has launched the most ambitious upgrade of Nigeria’s major seaports in five decades, covering Apapa, Tin Can Island, Onne, Rivers, Calabar and Warri. The programme, he explained, includes deeper channels to attract larger vessels, modern cargo-handling infrastructure and digitalised terminal operations.
According to the minister, ongoing reforms are already attracting international recognition as the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th and the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, 12th among the world’s 20 most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025.
Oyetola also said the ministry had finally broken the decades-old Apapa port gridlock through the electronic truck call-up system, dedicated holding bays and expanded inland barging. The acquisition of modern tugboats, pilot cutters and dredging equipment by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), he pointed out, has further improved port operations.
“We have moved from managing congestion to building a port system that can compete globally,” Oyetola said.
Nigeria’s maritime security profile has also strengthened, according to the Minister, with the country having maintained zero piracy in its territorial waters for four consecutive years, supported by maritime security assets procured under the Deep Blue Project.
The achievement, Oyetola said, had eliminated costly piracy-related surcharges on vessels calling at Nigeria and reinforced the country’s reputation as a safe maritime corridor.
According to the minister, the security gains were matched by diplomatic breakthroughs. In November 2025, he recalled that Nigeria regained its seat on the International Maritime Organization’s Category C Council after a 14-year absence. The ministry, through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), also secured the lifting of the 12-year US Coast Guard Condition of Entry restrictions on vessels arriving from Nigerian ports.
“These achievements demonstrate that Nigeria is not only reforming its maritime sector at home; we are reclaiming our rightful voice and influence internationally,” he emphasised.
To expand capacity beyond existing ports, Oyetola said the ministry was advancing deep seaport projects in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Lagos and Rivers states. The operationalisation of Inland Dry Ports, including the Funtua Inland Dry Port in Katsina State, he stressed, is similarly bringing port and cargo-clearance services closer to businesses in the hinterland.
The minister said the new Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Authority (NPERA) Act had further strengthened port regulation, while interventions through the agency had saved port users more than N86 billion in unjustified demurrage and resolved nearly 300 commercial disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
The ministry, Oyetola said, also moved to eliminate unauthorised shipping charges and curb capital flight through freight and foreign-exchange verification.
Human capital development, according to the minister, has also expanded, with free seafarer training, academic programmes and sea-time placements contributing to an increase of more than 80 per cent in average seafarer earnings.
Oyetola said the ministry, through the Nigeria Port Economic Regulatory Agency (formerly known as the Nigerian Shippers’ Council), facilitated a N200,000 monthly minimum wage for maritime and shipping workers.
Besides, he stated that the ministry supported the federal government’s Naira-for-Crude policy by streamlining marine logistics for domestic refineries, while inland-waterway safety interventions included the distribution of thousands of lifejackets and plans to replace unsafe wooden boats with modern fibreglass vessels.
He stated that fish production rose to 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2025, while Nigeria achieved 100 per cent compliance with Turtle Excluder Device requirements among inspected commercial shrimp trawlers, safeguarding access to international markets and protecting marine biodiversity.
The ministry, Oyetola explained, has also digitised its internal operations through an Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) and helped resolve a 16-year impasse that paved the way for the operationalisation of the Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB) in Nigeria, saying that the achievements mark only the beginning.
“The blue economy is no longer an untapped frontier. It is becoming a major engine of national prosperity, regional competitiveness and sustainable growth,” he assured.
