Nigeria must urgently shift from reliance on crude oil to fully utilize its extensive maritime resources if it wants to achieve sustainable growth, improve public health, and create millions of jobs, maritime experts have stated.
At the National Blue Economy Summit in Port Harcourt, stakeholders cautioned that decades of oil-dependent development have inflicted severe environmental and health damage on Nigeria.
The President, Admiralty Law Society of Nigeria, Angus Chukwuka, linked the country’s rising health burdens and declining life expectancy to long-term reliance on crude oil, arguing that the blue economy offers a cleaner and more inclusive development pathway.
He described the maritime sector as largely untapped, with the potential to transform coastal communities and drive broad-based prosperity if properly developed.
Chukwuka commended President Bola Tinubu’s establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, describing it as a positive policy signal, but stressed that improved maritime security remains critical to attracting trade flows and large-scale private investment into the sector.
According to him, prosperity from the oceans is inseparable from safety at sea.
He said, “If we can assess the sea, then we can assess greater prosperity. We can assess greater employment opportunities.”
“We can be more assured of food, water, and other infrastructure. We’re looking at the security aspect of it because we believe that if there is proper security, we can surely arrive at that destination.”
Delivering the lead paper at the summit, a retired naval officer, Captain George Alily, highlighted structural and operational challenges limiting the optimal use of Nigeria’s eastern ports, while pointing to recent gains in maritime surveillance and security.
He cited the deployment of the Falcon Eye system as a major milestone in safeguarding Nigeria’s waters.
“The Falcon Eye system is an integrated coastal radar system which provides real-time surveillance coverage across Nigeria’s EEZ, allowing for early detection of suspicious maritime activities and prompt naval response,” Alily said.
The surveillance infrastructure has contributed directly to Nigeria’s continued zero piracy rating by the International Maritime Bureau,” he added.
Panel discussions at the summit focused on the need for port rehabilitation, stronger inter-agency coordination, and sustained investment in maritime security infrastructure to protect Nigeria’s territorial waters and inland waterways.
Participants argued that improved connectivity between inland markets and seaports could unlock massive employment and trade opportunities.
One stakeholder underscored the economic potential of inland water transport, noting that “Onitsha Market is the largest market in Africa. And if there’s an all-year-round water, Onitsha Port will provide two million jobs, two million direct employment.”
With calls for economic diversification growing louder amid global energy transition pressures, stakeholders at the summit agreed that Nigeria must move decisively to unlock the full value of its oceans, rivers, and ports.
They said that embracing the blue economy could drive cleaner growth, improve health outcomes, create jobs, and lay the foundation for a more resilient and sustainable national economy.
Source: Nation
