By Abasi Ita
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has expressed the Federal Government’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with the South South Development Commission (SSDC) to unlock the maritime potential of the region, accelerate deep seaport development and expand blue economy job opportunities for citizens.
Oyetola gave the assurance when he received the Managing Director of the SSDC, Ms Usoro Akpabio, and her team on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.
Ms Akpabio applauded the Minister’s visionary drive and ongoing reforms in the maritime space, noting that the sector was fast becoming “a new engine of national GDP growth.”
“We are witnessing reforms in port operations, maritime logistics and governance that are enhancing trade facilitation, transparency and investor confidence,” she said.
She described the South South as Nigeria’s natural maritime hub with vast coastlines, fisheries resources, oil and gas installations, inland waterways and tourism assets. According to her, the SSDC was ready to partner with the Ministry as the regional implementation vehicle for blue economy projects.
“Our mandate is to coordinate and accelerate sustainable development across the South South. This aligns perfectly with your vision of harnessing marine resources for inclusive national growth,” Akpabio added.
She called for priority attention to the completion of the Ibom, Bonny, Bakassi and Agge Deep Seaports, alongside the establishment of dry ports and inland container depots in key commercial centres to ease congestion and stimulate trade.
On human capacity development, the SSDC Chief stressed the importance of equipping young people with technical and vocational skills in maritime logistics, shipbuilding, aquaculture and port management.
“A vibrant blue economy in the South South will create thousands of decent jobs, expand non oil exports and stimulate enterprise growth,” she stated.
To ensure concrete implementation, she proposed the creation of a Joint Technical Working Group between the Ministry and SSDC to drive priority programmes and discourage “boardroom promises that never leave paper.” She also sought engagement with key maritime agencies, including NPA, NIMASA and the Department of Fisheries.
In his remarks, Oyetola welcomed the SSDC’s proposals, describing the visit as a positive signal of the region’s readiness to take ownership of its maritime prospects.
“Your visit underscores the preparedness of the South South to harness its maritime potential. With institutions such as the Maritime Academy in Oron and the All States Maritime Academy in Otokutu, the South South clearly has a strong foundation for maritime excellence,” he said.
He commended the SSDC for being the first regional commission to visit the Ministry and assured that the Federal Government would maintain open engagement on areas of mutual interest, including port development, fisheries, maritime training and blue economy investment promotion.
However, Oyetola advised the SSDC to ensure clarity of roles in order to avoid duplication of federal responsibilities, saying, “Once the Commission maintains its statutory regional focus, collaboration with the Ministry will be seamless and impactful.”