The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) says Nigeria has recorded a decline in piracy incidents compared to peak years.
SEREC’s Head of Research, Eugene Nweke, made this known in a statement to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary on Thursday in Abuja.
Nweke said the decline was due to multinational patrols and investments in surveillance.
He said Nigeria’s achievements in the marine and blue economy also included the expansion of seafarer training with hundreds of cadets now completing mandatory sea-time, building a foundation for a stronger workforce.
He said inland container depots and dry ports were being activated to ease Lagos corridor congestion, showing modest progress toward multimodal trade.
Nweke, however, said that Nigeria was in need of a strong steel industry to further grow the marine sector and reduce its dependence on imports.
“Without a functioning steel industry, Nigeria’s shipyards remain import-dependent, uncompetitive and unable to support large-scale ship repair or newbuilding,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria has a national carrier gap and one national operator alone does not make a maritime nation.
He said that sustainability required governance free from political capture and backed by private capital.
Nweke added that the sector was experiencing a multimodal deficit, where ports remained road-dependent, with rail and inland waterways underdeveloped, a drag on competitiveness.
Environmental sustainability, he said, had not been mainstreamed into port concessions, as Nigeria risks lagging global decarbonisation standards.
Nweke said that Nigeria was faced with a trade imbalance, where it imports machinery, food and refined fuel in volumes that far exceeded non-oil exports, draining scarce forex and worsening the balance of trade.
He said to address these challenges, Nigeria must link maritime development with industrialisation by reviving steel industry even through modular mini-mills, essential for a credible shipbuilding and repair industry.
Nweke said, “the Blue Economy policy must move beyond paper. Fisheries, aquaculture, ocean energy, and seabed mining can be new engines of growth if grounded in research, sustainability, and transparent regulation.
“Multimodal transport is not optional. Until rail, barge and inland port integration become functional, Apapa and Tin Can will remain choke points undermining trade efficiency.
“Revenue agencies must move from celebrating ‘record collections’ to proving impact: port costs must fall, cargo must flow faster and trade competitiveness must rise.’
He said that Nigeria’s maritime sector held the promise of jobs, industrialisation and regional leadership, but required structural reforms to achieve the feat.
“At 65, the time for ceremonial speeches is over.
“The next decade must be about execution: steel for shipbuilding, disciplined national carrier governance, green ports, regulated seabed mining, empowered seafarers and multimodal integration.
“Only then will Nigeria’s maritime sector reflect the true wealth of its waters,” he said.
