Oyetola’s Performance and Spearheading Many Daunting Tasks For A Maritime Nation
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, is one man that will go down in the history of the maritime sector as someone with a Midas touch. In less than two years, the man some people considered not to be a maritime expert has suddenly become a central point of reference. This certainly comes with so much hard work and commitment to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
By Ovie Edomi
Apparently, when some maritime editors had the privilege of listening to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, at an interactive session recently, one thing was obvious: the former Osun State Governor has in many ways spearheaded several things to reposition the country’s maritime industry in other to change the narrative.
First was the rectification of 6 international conventions as well as the ratification of 48 International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) treaties which has not been done for a long time. This done, along with close of gaps in compliance with IMO audit report, as well as Nigeria’s record of zero piracy rate in the Gulf of Guinea at least since this administration came on board coupled with improved cadets training at the nation’s Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, one of the globally recognized 500 academies by the IMO, Nigerians can at least say a rejigging of the maritime industry and its allied industries is actually on going under Oyetola.
Closely linked with the meeting of IMO standards and rectification of treaties, is the discovery of an on going shuttle diplomacy that Oyebola and his foreign affairs Minister have started, in preparation for the November 2025 IMO security nations seat of which Nigeria has expressed interest in re-contesting the category C. This is to enable Nigeria to be on the IMO’s White list.
In addition to this positive narrative, Oyebola was quick to admit that policy developed Europe and all other developed nations in the world as such he says the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under his watch has developed a policy document that has been presented to President Tinubu for approval. No doubt, the sustainability of the new ministry of marine and blue economy is dependent on the nation’s transport and shipping policies which must be implemented with strong political will.
For now, the success story of the Ministry and its agencies especially in the past one year in the areas of maritime security and safety, port operational efficiency, infrastructure rehabilitation, connectivity and blue economy development are no doubt in the right direction. To say that the improved security and safety on Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea along side other developmental efforts of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as well as the diplomatic shuttle/lobby,brighten the chance of Nigeria in clinching the category “C” seat in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) this time around.
This is so because Oyetola in unfolding the strategic plans of the Ministry and the agencies, stated his commitment to continue to develop the Nigerian blue economy, with focus on maritime security, safety, shipping, ship building and maintenance, maritime governance, seafarers training, ports infrastructure rehabilitation, capacity building, extending support to the private sector to encourage the building of deep sea ports, consultations to reduce the number of agencies at the seaports to a maximum of seven in order to fast-track port processes and improve ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Also, part of the efforts to achieve ports operational efficiency, Oyetola says the ministry through the NPA rolled out a National Single Window initiative which is expected to eliminate human interface and deepen the efficiency of the nation’s ports. Similarly, at the interactive session, the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA is said to have recruited 350 water marshals to uphold safety standards at jetties across the inland waterways. In addition plans are on to introduce standardized boats in our nation’s territorial water so that ricky boats will be gradually removed from Nigeria’s waters just the same way the popular “molue” was phased out of Lagos road. In doing so, Oyetola assured maritime stakeholders that his ministry will approach President Tinubu for assistance to enable the federal government provide modern boats for the citizens who live in coastal communities in Nigeria to ease safe and efficient water transportation.
More importantly, the Honourable Minister’s plan to expand the domestic shipping fleet by establishing a national shipping line through public private partnership and automate the nation’s ship registry, was good news to indigenous ship owners. This is so because for 22 years since the federal government began the cabotage act implementation in Nigeria, indigenous ship operators have been looking forward to the disbursement of the CVFF, Cabotage Vessels Finance Fund to enable them acquire vessels.
Meanwhile, the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, was however quick to make it clear to ship owners that the plan for the national shipping line will be private sector driven, apparently in recognition of the fact that the federal government owned Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), failed and got liquidated with its 21 vessels in 1995. And as the Minister puts it, “government should be more preoccupied with creating an enabling environment for business to thrive and not for government to be fully involved in it “.Indeed,the template for the disbursement of the CVFF must be gotten right so that we don’t make the mistake of the past.
Equally, Oyetola pointed out efforts at seaport infrastructure upgrade involving the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) especially the rehabilitation of the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, adding that this was to ensure that ports facilities remain efficient, especially with the Ministry engaging the Nigeria Customs Service and relevant agencies of government to facilitate the rapid deployment of scanners, fast-track port processes, reduce congestion, and improve transparency at the ports.
Other areas the Minister said he and the agencies under his supervision intend to carry out more activities include fisheries and aquaculture, blue economy, investments in coastal tourism, seabed mining, biotechnology and renewable energy. This will certainly open up more opportunities for Nigerians to tap from her maritime vast potentials.
For decades, we never had a federal Minister in the Transportation Ministry coming up with such bold policy frameworks that have helped to change the narrative. Indeed, the creation of the Marine and blue economy ministry by President Tinubu and the appointment of
Oyetola, is perhaps one of the best decisions as well as one of the achievements of the President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda for Nigerians as we can now begin to fully harness the nation’s maritime vast potentials.
Globally, all the developed maritime counties adhere to International Maritime Organization, IMO’s treaties and conventions of which they are parties to, in addition to honouring bilateral treaties entered into with other maritime nations. Similarly, all the top maritime nations adopt their countries shipping policy. The fact that Nigeria through the ministry of marine and blue economy now has a blueprint that will form a framework for the ministry is a very big plus to Nigeria. No doubt, Oyetola is on the path of taking Nigeria to her rightful place in the comity of maritime countries.
Ovie Edomi, PhD, a Journalist, is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, South South International Magazine, former President, League of Maritime Editors and former Publicity Secretary of Association of Communication Scholars and Professional of Nigeria lives in Lagos