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.
Apparently, when some maritime editors had the rare privilege of listening to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, over the weekend at an interactive session, 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 IMO treaties which has not been done for a long time. But with this done, along with close of gaps in compliance with IMO, 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.
““Closely linked with this, is the discovery of the 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 in 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 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.
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 brighten the chance of Nigeria in clinching the category “C” seat in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
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 roll 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.
