By Oluyinka Onigbinde
Stakeholders in the nation’s maritime industry have expressed concerns over the slow pace of development in the maritime sector, nine months after the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
The ministry which was established in August 2023, was intended to diversify the country’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil. However, despite the estimated global value of the Nigeria blue economy exceeding $1.5 trillion, stakeholders in a chat with our correspondent opined that Nigeria’s marine sector has continued to face significant challenges.
The blue economy encompasses a range of sectors, including fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, shipping, and renewable energy. These industries have the potential to generate employment opportunities, stimulate economic growth, and promote sustainable development in coastal communities.
However, industry stakeholders believed that the ministry’s efforts to harness these resources have been hindered by a myriad of issues, such as inadequate collaboration among stakeholders, a lack of sustainable policies, and insufficient investment in infrastructure and technology.
In a chat with our correspondent, Chief Ernest Elochukwu, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), cited lack of clear goals and objectives. “Talking about whether the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has met expectations, I am prompted to ask what the expectations are.
“I honestly don’t believe that the Minister or the staff of the Ministry have any idea of such expectations. I may even say that even the President who appointed the Minister may also not have the idea of such explanations you are asking me about.
“Why did I say this? I sincerely believe that the performance of people in public offices in this country would become more meaningfully appraised if from the word ‘go’, there’s a clear idea of what such officials are out to accomplish in the positions they are being appointed into; from the President down to Ministers. If the President himself has a clear idea of what he wants to accomplish during his tenure, it will guide him in making appointments and I can bet you, it will change the coloration of appointments in Nigeria.
“At least, appointments will no longer be based on political affiliations and compensation alone; competence and capacity, amongst other things, would definitely come into consideration”, he said.
Elochukwu, speaking further said: “If you are asking about the Ministry meeting the expectations of Nigerians, I will say emphatically “No, it hasn’t “. To start with, Nigeria is blessed with several square kilometers of coastal waters and these are grossly underutilized.
“There are several countries whose main source of survival, sustenance and prosperity is simply on account of being situated on a coastline. In fact, a country such as UAE has been able to develop to where it is today not using oil money, but revenue from their blue economy and tourism”, he stated.
He urged that for the ministry to harness the vast potential of the blue economy, there is need to have a blueprint “As to the strategies that should be applied in order to harness the potentials and unlock the vast economic opportunities in the marine and blue economy, the first step is to draw a blueprint which can be easily achieved by bringing together experts acting as consultants.
Speaking also, another freight forwarder, Dr. Segun Musa, Deputy President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), expressed disappointment with the ministry’s performance, describing it as “not ready for business” and focused on propaganda rather than core values.
On his part, Dr. Muda Yussuf, CEO of the Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), highlighted the challenges facing the sector, including port logistics, automation, and indigenous participation in shipping.
“We are still not doing much. We still have challenges with our port logistics. Yes. For instance, it’s still a very big issue. A lot of importers and exporters are complaining about this issue of access into the port, getting out of the port.
“Then the cost, the initial automation of facilities at the ports, leveraging technology to drive the port.
And we are still struggling with a lot of those things. Now, without a technology-driven system, we can’t move that fast.
“Then indigenous participation in the sector, particularly in shipping, is still extremely very weak. Most of the shipping, all of them are falling. Where are our own people?
“How many of them have shipping lines? What support are we giving them? Because the beauty of an economy is also for your own people to be there.
“It makes a whole lot of difference, all the shipments of crude and shipments of petroleum products in and out, how many of those shipments are done by Nigerians? So we talk about the amount the economy brings and all of that, but we are yet to even position our indigenous players properly to take advantage of the opportunities in that sector.
“We export a lot of things, especially all these oil and gas things. How many of these exports are done locally? What progress have we made with the Cabotage?
Kingsley Igwe, National Secretary of NAGAFF, acknowledged the ministry’s potential, but noted that it is still learning and has yet to stimulate growth in the sector. “The Marine and Blue Economy has enormous growth potentials, and the potentials are still lying fallow and yet to be stimulated. Unfortunately, the ministry is still learning the job, let’s be patient,” he said.
On his part, Capt. Tajudeen Alao, President of the Nigeria Association of Masters Mariners (NAMM) defended the ministry’s progress, citing the need for legal frameworks and international cooperation to develop the blue economy. “A new ministry with a protective order is work-in-progress. You have to go through the parliament, actually to amend the law. It’s not something you can rush. So one year is not too long to do the groundwork,” he said.
Raymond Gold, National Public Relations Officer of the Waterfront Boat Owners and Transporters Association of Nigeria (WABOTAN), emphasized the need for support and incentives for the informal sector to contribute to the growth of the blue economy.
“We are the informal sector. We are just trying to contribute our own. What we’ve already asked for is the necessary support through policies and incentives that will also create an enabling environment for those of us in the informal sector to be able to contribute our own quota towards this growth,” he said.
—-Twitter Rage—–
Meanwhile, a recent Twitter poll conducted by a social media activist; Imran Muhammad and monitored by our correspondent has revealed an overwhelming majority of respondents voting in favour of sacking the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
Out of 1176 participants, a staggering 69% (812 people) voted for the minister’s removal, while 21% (247 people) believed he should be kept in office. The remaining 10% (117 people) chose to remain neutral.
The poll, titled: “Minister of Marine and Blue Economy: Keep or Sack?” sparked a lively debate among the X users formerly known as Twitter with many sharing their thoughts and opinions.
Henry MD (@Donpanacio) argued that making changes in a new ministry would be like starting from scratch, so it’s best to keep the current minister. On the other hand, Emmanuel Ndiokwerw (@EmmanuelNdiokw4) called for the minister’s immediate removal, stating that he had forgotten the ministry even existed. Suleiman Damilare praised the minister’s performance, urging users to “keep” him, while Adegboye Adediran succinctly summed up his opinion with a single word: “Super sack.”
The result of this poll suggests a significant lack of confidence in the minister’s ability to lead the Marine and Blue Economy ministry effectively.
