A maritime expert, Chief Eugene Nweke, has urged the Federal Government to strengthen maritime governance, port security, fisheries development and private sector participation to boost Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness.Nweke, Head of Research, the Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC), made the call in an interview on Monday in Lagos while reviewing developments in Nigeria’s maritime sector during the first half of the year.
He said the centre’s review identified rising drug seizures at Nigerian seaports and declining domestic fish supply as two major issues shaping the country’s maritime and blue economy.
According to him, this requires coordinated policy responses from government and stakeholders.
Nweke said the review was conducted in line with the centre’s mandate to provide evidence-based research and strategic interventions for the growth of the maritime industry and blue economy.
Nweke said the centre observed with concern the increasing volume of illicit narcotics intercepted at Nigerian seaports by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
He said while the seizures reflected improved intelligence, more inter-agency collaboration and enhanced operational efficiency, they also showed that criminal syndicates continued to exploit the maritime routes for drug trafficking.
He warned that the use of Nigerian ports as transit corridors for narcotics could damage the country’s trade reputation, trigger stricter cargo inspections, delay cargo clearance and raise Nigeria’s global maritime risk profile.
Nweke added that maritime drug trafficking fuels money laundering, organised crime, corruption and insecurity, threatening national economic stability and investor confidence in port operations.
He, therefore, called for a shift from seizure-based enforcement to intelligence-led prevention through Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven cargo profiling and wider deployment of non-intrusive cargo scanners at seaports
He also advocated more container tracking systems, deeper collaboration among the Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other security agencies.
According to him, there is need for full integration of the National Single Window to improve cargo risk management.
On fisheries, Nweke said the centre’s review showed that domestic fish production remained significantly below national demand in spite of investments by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
“The supply deficit is met largely through imports, creating a food security challenge and a missed opportunity for employment generation, rural livelihoods, foreign exchange conservation and non-oil export growth.
“SEREC identified high feed costs, limited access to finance, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, post-harvest losses, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and climate-related pressures as major constraints limiting the growth of the fisheries sector.
“We recommend accelerated investment in commercial aquaculture, hatcheries, modern fish processing facilities, cold-chain logistics, fisheries financing and stronger enforcement against illegal fishing to bridge the supply gap,” he said.
