Headlines

ANLCA crisis is fueled by desire for vengeance—Ozo Chukwura

Prince Ozo Chukwura is a Chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA).

As one -time Chapter Chairman of the association in Tin Can Port, the Zonal Coordinator in the Western Zone, and presently a member of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding Practices in Nigeria(CRFFN) as well as a member of the new Board of Trustees(BOT) of ANLCA, Prince Chukwura is one of the most experienced and respected voices in the association.

Generally regarded as a man of peace, Chukwura was uncomfortable with the protracted crisis in ANLCA which is threatening to bring down the oldest freight forwarding group in Nigeria.

Little wonder he decided to undertake the onerous and thankless task of reconciling the warring factions of the association which have been at each other’s throat in their quest to get the soul of ANLCA.

In this revealing interview with FUNSO OLOJO, the freight forwarding icon shares his thoughts on how he intends to bring the two warring groups to the reconciliatory table to achieve the much elusive peace.

Q. Prince Ozo Chukwura, as one of the elders of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA), what is your reaction to the protracted crisis that has almost brought ANLCA down to its knees?

A. I have been in ANLCA for some time now and I have paid my dues. I have also attained a level in the association’s politics that put me in good stead to talk as a stakeholder.

I left as the Zonal Coordinator of the Association. I started from grassroots.
Like every other association, ANLCA is not new to crises but this present one is very unique and different from the previous crises that had bedeviled the association in the time past.

The present crisis started with the BOT and the members of the BOT did not lose elections.

The elections which brought in Tony Iju were somehow complicated. It was a collegiate system where only elected members into the college participated in the NECOM election which brought in Tony in 2018 at Enugu.

In that election, Tony was considered as an underdog, he won against the general expectations of the majority of voters who were in support of Emenike, his opponent. (Tony beat Emenike by three votes).

In that election, all the elected members in the West into the collegiate supported one particular candidate while the East’s votes were expected to be shared between the two contending candidates.

That was why almost everybody thought that the preferred candidate would win. But contrary to their expectations, the candidate who was not expected to win won and that was Tony Iju, the candidate I routed for even though I was not a member of the collegiate who voted in Enugu.

In that Election, Tony Iju was rated as an underdog because almost all the heavyweights in ANLCA were supporting Emenike.

Most of the BOT members, the past president, Olayiwola Shittu, naturally supported Emenike, his Vice, and most of the chapter executives who were installed by the immediate past president.

So you can see that Tony was not expected to win.

But despite all the odds against his chances Tony, won the elections.

However, it was unfortunate that the BOT elections have been conducted and won before the NECOM elections which produced Tony were held.

However, the elections of principal officers in the BOT like Chairman, Secretary which were conducted within themselves, is where the problem started.

The elections of the principal officers like Chairman, the Vice -Chairman and Secretary is an internal arrangement within the board for administrative convenience. It was not recognized by the ANLCA constitution.

They would have had that election in the BOT before the NECOM election but the day the President was being inaugurated was the day the BOT held its own election in a hotel and this did not go down well with some members.

Some BOT members were with the President while some didn’t support him.

Those members of the board who supported Emenike who lost the elections were not with the president and that is the genesis of the present crisis.

So it looks like the board was polarised along with the two major contenders in the 2018 NECOM elections, Tony and Emenike.

This is the root cause of the problem and everything that has happened which have now snowballed into the present big crisis took its root from this scenario I just painted.

The BOT members, after their elections, called the president to resolve the crisis in the BOT but asked them to give him three months to settle down as he just assumed office.

But those members of the BOT who are opposed to his election as the president felt he was just playing pranks with them and what really angered them was the President did not do anything after the three months he promised as three months grew to six and to eight months, yet the President kept mute over the vexed issues in the BOT.

This, therefore, made those who are opposed to his elections be convinced that the President was not sincere but actually playing on their intelligence.Then the war started from there.

Before you knew it, one faction of the BOT went to court and got a judgment (not an order), asking the President not to recognise the other faction of the BOT and went further to state that some of the BOT members of ANLCA who were validly elected were not registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC), therefore the court does not recognise them as the members of the BOT.

This is notwithstanding that these people were genuinely elected by members of the association to be in the board.

While the court does not recognise them, the ANLCA constitution recognises them.

The BOT members who the court does not recognise have already started working and even participated in the elections of the NECOM at Enugu.

This created a lacuna.

This led to another problem as the faction which the court said are not valid members of the BOT also went to court and this led to series of court injunctions that created so many crises.

This is where we are today.Q. Is it not a constitutional provision in the ANLCA that a dispute of this nature must first be subjected to the internal conflict resolution mechanism of the association and must not be taken to court?

A. Yes, that is what our constitution says but all the parties in the dispute are the same people whom the constitution empowered to hear and resolve such dispute.

For instance, such a dispute will go through the board where the President will be asked to set up a panel to adjudicate on the matter.

However, as you know, both the board and the President are in dispute here, and who is going to adjudicate on the matter?

The constitution does not envisage the peculiarity of this case.Q.This crisis started about three years ago, in fact, it started with the tenure of Tony and it seems not to be abating. As one of the respected leaders of the association, what are you doing in order to ensure there is peace in the association as the crisis has taken a heavy toll on members?

A. Left for me, I would have sat down, folded my hands and watch them because I have never been a member of any faction, even when I have been badly treated before, I have never left ANLCA, I have always remained a loyal and disciplined member of the association.

The incessant crises in ANLCA, especially this present one, have made members, including me, concluded that the association has lost its aims and objectives, one of which is to cater to the welfare and professional well-being of members.

Nobody is talking about the welfare of members, their professional capacity, and how to enhance it, but what we busy ourselves with is endless squabbles and how to resolve them which, for me, is personal.

For me, this crisis would have been nipped on the board if the people concerned had done the right thing at the right time.

It was wrong for the members of the BOT to have held their election at the same time Tony was being inaugurated.

Equally, it was wrong for Tony not to have kept his promise to the board when he was invited to their meeting and pleaded for time, he should have kept his words.

Some members were calling the President unprintable name and even vowed not to recognise him as their President.

All these, though are part of association politics, have been taken too far and that is why we are where we are today.

In fairness to the President, he initiated some peace moves intended to reconcile the warring parties.

He set up a peace committee that comprised the warring parties, including Ofobikwe, the Zonal Coordinator, Alloy Eze, and other high-ranking members of ANLCA and the committee came up with the report on how to restore peace to ANLCA.

I am a stakeholder in ANLCA and should know what is happening but I want to tell you that nobody has heard anything about that report till today.

That report was never read.Q. Whose fault?

A. The President’s. He was supposed to have called a meeting and read the report to the public.

It is just like the Nigerian situation where we set up various panels whose reports were never implemented.

Q. Could this have been one of the grouses of the aggrieved party?

A. I really do not know because I am not privy to the contents of the report since the report was not made public.

But I assume, like any other reasonable person will do, that since the report was not read, maybe, just maybe, some of the recommendations in the reports are not favourable to a particular side.

If it does not favour a particular side, it could possibly mean, I am just insinuating because I am not sure, the report may not have favour the present NECOM.

This is because if it did not favour the other side, they would have voiced out.

After the report, the President took another giant step towards reconciliation. I will always want to give due respect to whom it is due.

The President called all members of his group, his supporters and told them that he was going to forgive those who are calling him names and those who said they will not recognise him as the President.

He told them that he was going to forgive them and lift their suspension.

He did that by lifting the suspension and this made all his supporters mad at him but I had to tell them that they should allow the President to exercise his discretionary powers and authority as the President.

That he is not a President of a faction.

However, the President was silent on the issue of the BOT members who are opposed to him.

When he granted pardon to the Western chapter executives who formed a parallel government, he did not pardon the estrangled BOT members and that made the crisis not to abate.

This made the estrangled BOT members decided that the President has drawn the battle line and he has played on their intelligence.

This other side in the BOT which the court said are not recognised went to the CAC and got themselves registered.

They brought the letter to the NECOM but the letter was dated two days after their tenure must have expired and they said they wanted to start afresh.

This resulted in another level of confusion and crisis.

Any sensible person who is on the side of truth would know that this could not be possible and that was the position of the NECOM which the affected BOT members rejected.

And this has resulted in a fresh crisis that we are in today in ANLCA.

Q. Having analysed the genesis of the crisis, as a person who is committed to restoring peace to ANLCA, what efforts have you made to ensure there is peace in the association?

A. When these issues were going on, I took it on myself to reach out to all the aggrieved parties in order to broker peace.

I have visited Alhaji Mustapha twice to plead with him on the need to shield his sword. I have met Ofobikwe, I have met Segun Odutan. I have met Barrister Ada Aphononu, one after the other, pleading with them to embrace peace.

I have even gone to Dr. Opara who was a strong supporter of Tony Iju before the crisis broke out.

Barrister Ada even elected to follow me.
I had met with Dayo Abdulaziz at the airport, pleaded with him to embrace peace.

I have been to almost all the major contenders in this matter and there was nowhere necessary for me to get the cooperation of these people that I have not gone to.I called Ernest Elochukwu and later went to him with Anyman and Alloy Eze and I pleaded with him on the way forward.

Let me state here that Chief Elochukwu was the only one who told me the real reason they are fighting Tony Iju.

He told me the reason for their anger which others I met did not tell me.

Based on what he told me, I suspended my peace efforts for a while.

Q. What did he tell you?

A. Relax, you will get to know in a while. It is related to what made me suspend my peace moves. I was with three people when I met him.

We discussed so many things which I will not divulge here.

But later, Chief Elochukwu called me by my name and said ‘Ozomena, We( he refers to the remaining five members of the board whom the court said were not recognised but later got registered on one side and the other three before Aare Sanni Shittu died) are like bulls in the Chinese Shop.

You can interpret the idiomatic expression he used.

He said their main aim is to destroy Tony Iju’s s administration, that he would not be relevant.

It is now left for Tony Iju to learn how to navigate the raging bulls from his Chinese shop to forestall further destruction.

It was a very instructive proverb.

They felt Tony Iju destroyed the little tenure they had as the BOT members through what they regarded as his insincerity of purpose when he was called upon to intervene in the crisis in the BOT then.

They felt that by his attitude which they regarded as playing pranks, Tony allowed the crisis in the BOT to fester to his own advantage which eventually truncated their tenure.

Q. So it was a tit for tat, a payback time?

A.That is exactly what is happening. Any other things you are hearing or they are telling you is secondary.

That is at the core of the present crisis.

That was the exact word Elochukwu used, that they are like bulls in the Chinese shop. You can quote me.

I was with two people, Anyman, Alloy Eze and I now understand.

But I said these bulls have destroyed enough and that it is time to lure the bulls out of the shop so that the owner of the shop can now take full control of his shop and repair whatever may have been destroyed.

That was at the point I suspended my efforts of reconciliation. I had to allow temper to cool down.

Within that time I suspended my peace moves, there were lots of things that happened.

That was when the national secretariat was attacked. Also, that was when the crisis in Tin Can happened, and President was attacked and also, after that, a vehicle belonging to the association was forcibly removed from the secretariat which led to the fracas and one person who is our member nearly lost his life.

The boy that was attacked was identified to be on the Mustapha faction so it was assumed the people who attacked are from Tony Iju camp.

I made my investigation and I found out that Tony, in his capacity as the President asked those who charted away the association properties to return them within 48 hours.

And before the ultimatum elapsed, there was an attack where a boy from Mustapha camp was nearly killed.

That was when I got in touch with some leaders of the association like Henry Njoku and Elochukwu and warned them of the dangerous dimension the crisis was taking.

We were so fortunate that the boy did not die, if he had died, the situation would have been more precarious by now.

Going around these people is not an easy task.

You will get to some of them they would say, ” can we trust you ?” Some of them don’t even trust me, they thought I am a moll.

But that will not deter me. My spirit keeps telling me to do the little I could and if they agree to sheath their swords, the better for all of us. But if they are adamant, I would have been seen to have done my best as I cannot kill myself.

But I will keep moving.

I have even been to Taiye Oyeniyi who sounded very understanding.

If we started to recount the type of humiliation people have suffered in this association, I was the most affected but that has not made me work against the interests of the association.

We should all toe the line of peace and forgive one another, that is the only thing that can save this association.

As former President Goodluck Jonathan said, no ambition is worth the blood of our members.

Q. Having listened to you sir, it is clear that the aggrieved people are hitting back at Tony whom they felt truncated their tenure as the BOT members and they too wanted to truncate his own tenure as the President.

However, as the peacemaker, what efforts have you made to ensure that the two warring parties drop their hardline posture and embrace peace?

A. As a human being, I will try my best. I have been called several names while on these self-appointed peacemaking moves, but that will not deter me.

I will continue. I am not an ambitious person and I don’t belong to any of the two warring groups. I am contented with the level I have attained in the association.

I will continue to talk with both warring sides and try to convince them to sheath their swords. We must embrace the spirit of giving and take.

I have made a proposal to both sides which I will not make public so that it can sail through.

The proposal is on how to made the two sides embrace peace.

You know we have a new BOT which I am one of them, the one which elections were held in Owerri. The tenure of the former one has expired.

Even though the other group is still insisting that they are the BOT, but they know that their tenure has expired.

For me, the election in Owerri was in order because the President made wide consultation before it was held.

If it means to come to the round table where both sides will make concessions for peace to reign, so be it.

Q.(CUTS IN). Even if it means collapsing the two BOTs and conduct fresh elections where all the two warring groups will participate?

A. God bless you. Exactly. You have started to reveal some of my proposals which I did not want in the public.If that will bring peace, it is ok. Those who have served their two tenures will leave while others, such as those with one tenure and new entrants, can participate in the fresh BOT elections.

Let me also remind you that at the Owerri NECOM meeting, far-reaching resolutions were made that is supposed to remove some of the causes of these incessant crises in the association.

One of such is that all NECOM officials will now serve a single tenure of five years. President will now have one single tenure of five years, starting from the incumbent who is Tony while chapter executives will serve a single tenure of four years instead of three years.

That means Tony will serve an extra one year.

If that is not acceptable, all the sides can sit down and look into the resolutions and come up with the ones that are agreeable to all the sides in order to achieve peace.

I, Prince Ozo Chukwurah, if it means I have to sacrifice my position on the new BOT for peace to reign, I am more than willing to let go of my position.Q. To what extent do you think the Mustapha- led faction will agree to your proposal of collapsing the two BOTs?

A. That will depend on how the proposal is tabled and addressed.

We are not going to reopen the old wound, we are not going to find faults or apportion blame but put all the contending parties on the same page so one will not feel inferior or superior to the other.

However, in all these efforts, the two groups must recognise that Tony is still the President.

So far, the reactions have been positive.
However, until all the groups are brought to the same table, including the BOT members, there are just eight in numbers, excluding the late Aare Sanni Shittu, before we now fully unveil and sell the proposal to them.My intention, therefore, is to cause a peace meeting of the two contending sides, together with the past presidents who are available where all these issues will be looked into and thoroughly debated and a consensus will be reached to achieve the desired peace.

Q. How soon will this reconciliatory meeting be convened?

A. I am still consulting. Until I finish the necessary consultation and get the buy-in of all the sides to the dispute and that of the past presidents, it is then the meeting could take place.

The venue is equally important to me. I was thinking of taking it to Abeokuta or Asaba. God will provide the cost. I think with God on my side, I shall try my best possible.

But the few I have consulted so far agreed that Lagos is still central. That will show you that some of them are showing interest.

There is no one who does not want peace no matter how you pretend.

Nobody has a monopoly of violence but it is essential we embrace peace because we all have children and relations.

Violence has no ethnic colouration. Before it was Igbo against Yoruba but now it is Yoruba attacking another Yoruba in Tin Can while the Igbos are watching them, while they are attacking an Igbo man at the top.

All these have to stop. It is an ill wind that blows no one any good.

I don’t belong to any group. I want them to allow Tony to finish his tenure and allow ANLCA to know peace once again.

Q. What inspires you to take up this challenge of reconciliation?

A. I was inspired by my desire for peace and the need to restore sanity to the association.

I do not want any loss of life because this crisis was getting out of hands and if care is not taken, it may snowball into bloodletting which I abhor.

However, what really emboldened my resolve to take up this role of peacemaker, despite the obvious challenges, was when I went to Tin Can a few weeks ago.

I walked into a group of young members of our association who said to me, “Oga’ you are the only one we trust to take up the role of a peacemaker.

They said they had confidence in me to bring the two warring parties to reconciliation.

Alhaji Lungu was there, Lala, one Bamidele Shittu was there.

It was raining, that very day they said the Transportation Minister came to Apapa.

However, Chief Elochukwu has called me and spoke to me after I visited him and asked me to meet with Barrister Ada and that she would give me the necessary support.

Initially, Ada didn’t want to talk but later she had to call me and since then she has been the most outstanding person who has been inspiring me on these reconciliatory efforts to date.

She has even volunteered to join me in the mission to restore peace to ANLCA.

So, anywhere I go for the reconciliatory efforts, she willingly joins me.

I have also requested that Ofobikwe should join us and he has agreed in a way.
The next person I want to meet is the immediate past President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu.

May God support my efforts and strengthen me in this onerous task of restoring the much-needed peace to ANLCA.

I am positive that I shall succeed on this mission.

Analyses

National Single Window: Paper on glass(6)

Monday Discourse with Nasiru Ibrahim

The deployment of digital software portals across Nigeria’s maritime gateways has created a dangerous sense of administrative accomplishment.

On paper, policy declarations boast of automated workflows and modern interfaces designed to ease the cost of doing business. On the ground, however, the reality remains stubbornly archaic.

If the presidency and the newly minted National Single Window team believe that true automation begins and ends with front-end digital software portals like the new B’Odogwu Customs System, they are falling for an expensive trap.

True technological transformation cannot simply mean scanning old bureaucracies onto a computer screen. Cosmetic digitization does not eradicate systemic corruption; it merely moves the extortion from the physical Port gate onto a digital dashboard.

The structural flaw undermining our current modernization drive is the “scanned paper” reality. Clearing agents are routinely forced to upload digital documents onto unified portals, only to face the absurdity of printing out those exact same files to present them physically at various Port commands.

This duplication completely defeats the purpose of an automated gateway.
True single window success requires the total legal abolition of physical paper documentation within the Port perimeter.

We must transition from an era of “paper-on-glass” to pure, untampered digital data flows. A digital portal is utterly useless if the data it processes is still manually verified, delayed, or altered by human gatekeepers behind the scenes.

To break this cycle, the system must shift from human discretion to algorithmic risk profiling. We must enforce a machine-driven risk engine that automatically routes cargo through green, yellow, or red channels based entirely on hard data and compliance history.

Under this framework, once a container profile passes automated risk evaluation, an individual officer should not possess the arbitrary power to flag it for a manual “re-examination.”

Unauthorized human interventions on automated system routing must be treated as institutional sabotage and criminalized accordingly. Removing human delays from the logistics chain requires stripping human actors of the capacity to stall.

Furthermore, we must aggressively implement a single wallet mandate to clean up the financial architecture of our Ports. A true single window platform must consolidate all customs duties, agency fees, and terminal charges into one single electronic transaction.

This eradication of multi-layered payment checkpoints will instantly dry up the illicit cash demands that fuel the multi-billion-naira demurrage trap.

By deploying automated escrow systems, the central portal can instantly distribute revenues to the respective agency accounts—be it the Nigeria Customs Service, NPA, or NIMASA—only after automated cargo release metrics are met.

The ultimate structural shift, however, requires moving the entire national Port philosophy beyond the physical gate.

Top-tier maritime capitals like Singapore and Rotterdam do not stall their economies by interrogating cargo at the wharf; they rely on Post-Clearance Audits (PCA).

Nigeria must transition to a system where cargo is released instantly within a guaranteed 24-hour window based on automated risk profiles, while reserving heavy verification for robust, off-site corporate audits later.

Until we replace cosmetic upgrades with this level of raw process re-engineering, our software portals remain empty promises. True automation is not a software purchase; it is an uncompromising institutional discipline.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja

Headlines

Oyetola presents three-year score card as blue economy industry revenue hits ₦1.83trn

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has declared that Nigeria’s maritime sector has undergone a far-reaching transformation in the three years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu created the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in August 2023.

Oyetola, while presenting the Ministry’s three-year scorecard, said the administration had made significant progress in unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s 853-kilometre coastline and extensive inland waterways, with the marine and blue economy increasingly emerging as a major driver of revenue, trade, security and employment.

According to him, the reform programme has produced measurable gains in revenue generation, port infrastructure, maritime security, regulation, indigenous shipping, human-capital development, fisheries and inland-waterway safety.

“At the heart of our mandate is a simple but powerful objective: to turn Nigeria’s vast marine resources into sustainable economic value for Nigerians,” Oyetola said.

Revenue climbs 160 per cent

The Minister identified revenue growth as one of the clearest indicators of the sector’s transformation.

Agencies under the Ministry generated ₦1.83 trillion in 2025, representing a 160 per cent increase over the ₦700.79 billion recorded in 2023.

Oyetola attributed the surge to regulatory reforms, stronger revenue assurance, digitisation and the systematic closure of financial leakages.

He said the improved revenue performance was part of a broader strategy to establish a more transparent, efficient and investment-friendly maritime economy.

Nigeria gets first blue economy policy

A major milestone of the reform programme, according to Oyetola, was the approval in May 2025 of Nigeria’s first National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.

He said the policy provided, for the first time, a unified framework for developing shipping, fisheries, offshore energy, marine biotechnology and other emerging opportunities within the marine economy.

“This policy gives us a clear roadmap. It provides the predictability and transparency investors need while ensuring that our marine resources are developed sustainably,” he said.

The Minister said the policy would guide government intervention while providing greater certainty for private-sector investment across the marine and blue economy value chain.

Ports undergo major transformation

Port modernisation, Oyetola said, remained at the centre of the Ministry’s transformation agenda.

He said the Federal Government was implementing a comprehensive programme to upgrade major seaports, including Apapa, Tin Can Island, Onne, Rivers, Calabar and Warri.

The programme covers channel improvements, modern cargo-handling infrastructure and increased digitisation of terminal operations, aimed at improving efficiency and enabling Nigerian ports to handle larger volumes of international trade.

The reforms have also attracted international recognition.

The World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th and Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, 12th among the world’s 20 most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025.

Oyetola said government had also made progress in tackling congestion around the Apapa port environment through the electronic truck call-up system, dedicated holding bays and expanded inland barging.

The acquisition of modern tugboats, pilot cutters and dredging equipment by the Nigerian Ports Authority, he added, had further strengthened port operations.

“We have moved from managing congestion to building a port system that can compete globally,” Oyetola said.

He said the Federal Government was also pursuing an expansion of port capacity through deep-seaport projects in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Lagos and Rivers states.

The operationalisation of inland dry ports, including the Funtua Inland Dry Port in Katsina State, is similarly expected to take cargo-handling and clearance services closer to businesses in the hinterland and reduce pressure on coastal ports.

Regulation, lower costs for port users

The Minister said regulatory reforms had also delivered tangible benefits to businesses operating in the maritime sector.

According to him, the new Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Authority framework will strengthen economic regulation of the port sector, while interventions by the Ministry and its agencies have saved port users more than ₦86 billion in unjustified demurrage.

He added that nearly 300 commercial disputes had been resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Oyetola said government had introduced measures to eliminate unauthorised shipping charges and strengthen freight and foreign-exchange verification in an effort to reduce leakages and curb capital flight.

He said the objective was to create a maritime business environment where legitimate operators could compete on a level playing field while Nigerian businesses were protected from avoidable costs.

Maritime security records major gains

Improved port efficiency, Oyetola said, had been accompanied by significant gains in maritime security.

Nigeria has maintained zero piracy in its territorial waters for four consecutive years, according to the Minister, with maritime security assets deployed under the Deep Blue Project helping to secure the country’s waters.

He said the achievement had eliminated costly piracy-related surcharges on vessels calling at Nigerian ports while strengthening Nigeria’s reputation as a safer maritime corridor.

Nigeria also regained its seat on the International Maritime Organization Category C Council in November 2025, following a 14-year absence.

Through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the country also secured the lifting of the 12-year United States Coast Guard Condition of Entry restrictions affecting vessels arriving from Nigerian ports.

“These achievements demonstrate that Nigeria is not only reforming its maritime sector at home; we are reclaiming our rightful voice and influence internationally,” Oyetola said.

Indigenous shipping gets renewed attention

Oyetola said the Federal Government remained committed to increasing Nigerian participation in the shipping industry.

He disclosed that plans were at an advanced stage to revive a national shipping carrier through a public-private partnership, while the long-awaited process for disbursing the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) had commenced.

The fund, he said, would enable Nigerian shipowners to acquire modern vessels and strengthen indigenous capacity.

“We cannot build a truly blue economy if Nigerians remain spectators in their own maritime industry,” he said.

Human-capital development has also received increased attention, with seafarer training and sea-time placements expanded to create more opportunities for Nigerians seeking careers at sea.

According to Oyetola, the interventions have contributed to an increase of more than 80 per cent in average seafarer earnings.

He added that the Ministry, through the Nigeria Port Economic Regulatory Agency, facilitated a ₦200,000 monthly minimum wage for maritime and shipping workers.

Blue economy expands beyond ports

Oyetola said the Ministry’s transformation agenda extends beyond shipping and ports to fisheries, inland waterways, marine safety and environmental sustainability.

He said the Ministry supported the Federal Government’s Naira-for-Crude policy by streamlining marine logistics for domestic refineries.

On inland waterways, safety interventions have included the distribution of thousands of lifejackets and plans to replace unsafe wooden boats with modern fibreglass vessels.

The fisheries sector, he said, recorded further growth, with fish production reaching 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2025.

Nigeria also achieved 100 per cent compliance with Turtle Excluder Device requirements among inspected commercial shrimp trawlers, helping to protect marine biodiversity and preserve access to international markets.

Oyetola said the interventions reflected the Ministry’s broader philosophy that economic development and environmental sustainability should reinforce rather than undermine each other.

Digitisation and new institutions

Institutional reform has also featured prominently in the Ministry’s three-year programme.

Oyetola said the Ministry had digitised its internal operations through an Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability.

He also disclosed that the Ministry helped resolve a 16-year impasse that paved the way for the operationalisation of the Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB) in Nigeria.

According to him, the development would improve access to financing for businesses and projects across the maritime value chain.

Foundation for the next phase

Oyetola said the achievements recorded over the past three years should be regarded as the foundation for a much larger economic opportunity.

He said the ultimate objective was to establish a maritime ecosystem in which efficient ports support trade, stronger security attracts shipping, Nigerian businesses capture a greater share of the maritime value chain, coastal and inland communities benefit from new economic opportunities, and marine resources are developed sustainably.

According to him, the combination of rising revenues, a new national policy framework, port modernisation, improved maritime security, stronger regulation, investment in human capital and renewed international engagement had placed Nigeria’s marine and blue economy on a stronger trajectory.

“The blue economy is no longer an untapped frontier. It is becoming a major engine of national prosperity, regional competitiveness and sustainable growth,” Oyetola said.

Headlines

NIHOTOUR promotes culinary, cultural exchange at Nigeria-China food festival

Gloria Odion, Reporter

The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), in collaboration with the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, has used the 2026 Nigeria-China Food Festival to promote culinary diplomacy, cultural exchange and stronger people-to-people relations between the two countries.

The festival, held on August 27 at the China Cultural Centre in Abuja, was themed “From Farm to Feast” and formed part of activities marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China.

The event brought together more than 200 participants, including hospitality professionals, chefs, tourism stakeholders, government officials, diplomats, entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners from both countries.

A major attraction of the festival was the presentation of 14 Chinese dishes representing seven regions of China alongside 12 Nigerian dishes reflecting the country’s six geopolitical zones.

The diverse selection offered guests an opportunity to experience the distinctive ingredients, preparation techniques and culinary traditions of both countries while learning about the communities and cultures behind the food.

For NIHOTOUR, the festival also served as a platform to showcase Nigerian cuisine as an important component of the country’s tourism proposition and draw attention to the wide range of people and enterprises that make up the food and hospitality value chain.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Aare Abisoye Fagade, reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to developing the skills and human capacity needed to strengthen Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Fagade said such initiatives could help create opportunities for young people, professionals and entrepreneurs while promoting Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage to domestic and international audiences.

The theme, “From Farm to Feast,” also highlighted the extensive value chain behind every meal—from farmers and food producers to processors, chefs, hospitality operators and businesses that ultimately serve consumers.

NIHOTOUR used the occasion to emphasise the tourism potential embedded in Nigeria’s diverse culinary traditions. Each of the country’s six geopolitical zones has distinctive dishes, ingredients and methods of preparation that can be developed into authentic cultural and tourism experiences.

The Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Mr. Zhou Hongyou, underscored the importance of food in promoting cross-cultural understanding and strengthening people-to-people relations.

Also in attendance was the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy and Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Mr. Yang Jianxing.

Their participation reinforced the role of cultural diplomacy in deepening the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and China.

Beyond the food presentations, the festival featured cultural activities and opportunities for interaction between Nigerian and Chinese participants. It also opened avenues for potential collaboration in hospitality, tourism, culinary training, cultural exchange and enterprise development.

The event comes at a significant point in Nigeria-China relations, with both countries commemorating 55 years of diplomatic ties. While bilateral relations have expanded into areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure and education, cultural initiatives provide an important avenue for strengthening the relationship at the people-to-people level.

NIHOTOUR said it would continue to pursue partnerships capable of advancing Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sector, strengthening professional capacity, supporting enterprise development and creating opportunities across the tourism value chain.

Through initiatives such as the Nigeria-China Food Festival, the Institute is positioning food and hospitality not only as avenues for economic development but also as powerful instruments of cultural diplomacy and international engagement.