Headlines

Proposed Nigeria Coast Guard: The Dangers ahead — Maritime expert.

Funso OLOJO

An expert in maritime safety, who did not want his name in print, has warned of the dire consequences should the National Assembly passes the Nigeria Coast guard bill into law.

It could be recalled that the bill, which is currently before the National Assembly, seeks to establish a military service which is a branch of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, to ensure maritime safety that will domicile under the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The expert, who is a Marine Engineer and a retired civil servant from one of the agencies of government, claimed that the bill, if passed into law, will compound the muted unhealthy rivalry and competition among the agencies of governments such as the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency( NIMASA), Nigeria National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.

According to him, the proposed body will rival the Nigerian Navy and may also lead to the deadly clash of these two armed groups on the Nigerian waters.

He also warned that if the proposed Nigerian Coast guard is modelled after the United States Coast Guard (USCG), that may lead to irrelevance or total annihilation of NIMASA .

” If you model the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard after US Coast Guard, then you have to abolish NIMASA or the body take over NIMASA job completely.

“This is because in the US, the Coast Guard does all the safety administration.

” What the US Coast Guard is doing is what NIMASA does in Nigeria.

” If that is your model, you have failed from the beginning. You are scrapping NIMASA because you are going to duplicate the jobs of NIMASA.

“In America, the USCG is the apex body that is responsible to the IMO which NIMASA is.

“So the moment you bring American model of Coast Guard to Nigeria, NIMASA is gone.

” That means another body will be doing the safety administration job of NIMASA.

“The proponents of this bill have not sat down to look at technicalities and technical implications of the introduction of the new body.

” They are only trying to bring in the box of the Coast guard without the contents, the technicalities involved.

” The experts such as master mariners, maritime engineers, ship owners, marine engineers, industry operators should sit down and look at the implications of the proposed legislation.

” But what we have before the National Assembly is the box, which is the Coast Guard but what is going to be put in the box have never been discussed.

” The substance of the bill has not been discussed.

” To me, that is deception, if we fail to sit down and look at its technicalities.

” If you are looking for the American model of Coast guard, then there would be no NIMASA because there is no Maritime Administration in the US.

” It is the USCG that is maritime administration who does survey, registration of ships, Port state and flag state control.

” If you bring American model of Coast guard, then you does survey, who does ship registration, your port state and flag state inspection.

” Who is responsible to curtail marine pollution on your waters?

” In any maritime nation, the maritime safety is handled by its maritime administration like NIMASA while maritime security is handled by the country’s Navy.

” So what does the proposed Nigerian Coast guard do unless its functions overlap with that of Navy and NIMASA”

The marine engineer warned that if we bring the Coast Guard which the Navy said it does not want, there would be friction between the two armed groups which may result into conflicts at sea.

He claimed that those retired naval officers who support the bill are those who are eyeing to be recruited into the Coast Guard and want to become Coast Guard General because they are looking for job .

“Those retired Naval officers supporting the bill are looking for job because those who are still in the service will not support the bill”

” Which roles are the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard is going to play that the Nigerian Navy said it’s tired of playing” the maritime expert asked rhetorically.

He believed that if the Nigerian Navy is well funded and equipped with the necessary tools and infrastructure, it will be able to adequately protect Nigerian waters.

” But they deliberately underfunded the Navy, they deliberately ill- equipped the Navy and they are now bringing in another body to split the Navy functions because they are all eyeing NIMASA money” the Marine Engineer alleged.

He claimed that the proposed body is likely to be funded by NIMASA.

” This is the money the proponents of this proposed body is eyeing” he further claimed.

He then wondered what will happen to NIMASA and Navy if this bill is pushed through.

” NIMASA is still facing challenges of overlapping functions from NIWA, Nigerian Shippers’ Council and NPA which are yet to be resolved and you are now bringing in another body which will complicate these problems on the sea”

” All these will cause NIMASA unnecessary distractions from its core functions”

” Is this how we want to get category C seat in the IMO ” the retired civil servant queried.

He said that in countries such as India where they have Navies , maritime administrations and coast guards, their functions are clearly spelt out without overlap.

“But such was not the case in Nigeria”

” We are already in a mess due to the overlapping functions of the agencies under the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy which render them ineffective.

“We have overlap functions between NIMASA and NIWA which have not been addressed and causing tension between the two agencies.

“There is also an issue between NIMASA and Nigerian Shippers’ Council because the Nigerian Shipping and Economic Recovery Agency bill of Shippers’ Council before the National Assembly contains most of the shipping development functions of NIMASA”

” There is also the problem of overlapping functions between NIMASA and NPA.

” If you lack the capacity as a supervising minister to address these challenges among your agencies, why bringing another body to complicate the issues on ground?

” The unhealthy rivalry among the agencies under the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is so enormous that the ministry should not compound the already bad situation by pushing for a coast guard that will come to mess up the already bad situation ” the Marine Engineer declared.

Headlines

Open Letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the need to assent to the Nigerian Shipping and Ports Economic Regulatory Agency(NSPERA) bill

By Elder Asu Beks

Mr President,on behalf of the Maritime Elders Forum and entire maritime stakeholders, i respectfully send you season’s greetings.

There is no doubt, Mr President, that 2025 has been one of the most turbulent and challenging years in the history of our nation.

From the wave of insecurity ,which you have tackled squarely,to the far reaching economic reforms which has translated to the tax reform bills , are all pointers to the fact that you are taking the challenges head on.

Mr President , your modest achievements in the Oil and Gas sector are also there for all to see.

From the bold decision to abolish fuel subsidy to the increase in daily production levels to an average 1.8m bpd ,from about 1mbpd daily output as at May ,2023, and the complete disapperance of fuel queues, it is certain, Mr President, that you are building a legacy of renewed hope, unprecedented in the life of our nation.

We cannot thank you enough, Mr President.

For us in the maritime sector, the most profound of your score card remains the creation of a specialised Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The demand for a Ministry to oversee Nigeria’s vast maritime domain is as old as Nigeria’s Independence.

For us as critical stakeholders, this couldnt have come at a better time.

In just two years of the creation of this specialised Ministry, Nigerians are already reaping bountifully from this innovative move.

Only last month,Nigeria won an election into the elusive category ” C” of the International Maritime Organisation, (IMO).

This victory is coming after nine unsuccessful attempts, spanning 14 years.

With this victory , which couldn’t have been posible without your fatherly role,our fortunes as one of the greatest maritime nations in sub saharan Africa has been solidified.

Mr President, another milestone recorded under your watch ,since the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is the introduction of the game changing National Single Window platform which comes into effect in the first quarter of 2026.

The National Single Window is a trade facilitation tool designed to eliminate multiple entries by various regulatory bodies in business transactions in our seaports.

In other words, it is a digitalized platform that allows importers and exporters to submit all necessary documents, permits , and data to multiple government agencies through a single entry point.

Mr President, with these developments, you have etched your name as “the President who saw tomorrow” by demonstrating in concrete terms, the enormous potentials which this sector holds as your administration continues to look at a Nigeria beyond oil.

In this regard, Mr President ,we the Maritime Elders Forum urge you ,without delay to sign into law, the Nigerian Shipping and Port Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill .

The NPERA Bill aims to transform the Nigerian Shippers Council, (NSC) into a powerful, independent economic regulator for Nigeria’s Ports,creating a strong frame work for tariffs,fair competition and efficiency after port concession.

The Bill, a brain child of Dr Tajudeen Abass, Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, is aimed to fill the vacuum created by an absence of a regulatory agency in such a critical sector of our national economy ,as against other sectors such as banking, petroleum , energy and communication.

This critical Bill seeks to repeal the old Nigerian Shippers Council Act and empower the Council to manage port economic activities, boosting the Blue Economy.

Mr President, the laudable objectives of this Bill include;establishing an independent regulation to create a strong legally backed economic regulator for our ports; Control tariffs, charges and regulate port charges in such a manner as to prevent arbitrariness and ensure fairness; to promote fair competition by improving overall port operations and attract investment; Support the Blue Economy to align with our national goals for developing Nigeria’s Marine Economy.

Your Excellency Sir, this Bill was given an accelerated hearing ,and was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly on April 10, 2025 upon which it was forwarded to you for assent.

Mr President sir, the delay or your failure to assent to this Bill is coming at huge cost and has resulted in significant economic losses for Nigeria, primarily by perpetuating an unregulated and inefficient port system that has led to huge financial leakages that deter investment.

Mr President, sir, it is estimated that the nation is losing billions of dollars dailly to the absence of a strong legal frame work for port economic regulation.

We have on good authority, Mr President, that this obvious lack or absence of a regulated ports industry is also taking a huge toll on local and foreign investments as an estimated $250b is said to be lost annually, aside arbitrary charges by terminal operators and Shipping Lines .

In a nutshell, Mr President, the envisaged benefits of this brand new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has been eroded on account of the absence of a legal regulatory frame work.

As it stands, sir ,a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy without an Economic Regulator is akin to a football game without a referee.

it means anything goes and the out come of a game without an official umpire could be better imagined.

Mr President sir, consequently ,the time to sign the NPERA Bill is now.

Thank you Mr President for listening to this passionate appeal.

Let this be your new year present to Maritime Stakeholders.

ELDER ASU BEKS, CONVENER, MARITIME ELDERS FORUM, LAGOS

Headlines

Tantita intercepts stolen crude on escort of Delta Marine Police, arrests four suspects

Funso OLOJO

Tantita Security Services Limited, a pipeline surveillance operations company, has intercepted a tanker vessel, MT Thor, laden with suspected stolen crude oil.

The interception, which occurred on December 15th, 2025, around the Koko–Excravos axis of Delta State, happened while the vessel was allegedly being escorted by personnel of the Police Marine Unit, Delta State, who reportedly claimed they were acting on directives from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja.

Four suspects have been apprehended in connection with the incident and are currently facing investigation for possible prosecution.

The arrest was announced during the handover of the suspects at Koko Port in Delta State by Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL), a firm engaged in pipeline surveillance operations.

Speaking at the handover of the vessel and the suspects at Koko Port, Delta state, the Executive Director of Operations at Tantita, Captain Warredi Enisouh, said the suspects were apprehended with an unspecified quantity of suspected illegally sourced petroleum products aboard the vessel.

According to a situation report made available by the Special Prosecution Team (SPT) of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft, Tantita alerted the Head of Investigation of the SPT after intercepting MT Thor, which was allegedly laden with crude oil obtained through illicit means.

Preliminary investigations by law enforcement agencies revealed that the vessel, now classified as an exhibit in an ongoing criminal investigation, is linked to a jetty operated by Ebenco Global Services Limited.

Investigation officers disclosed that documents and correspondence connected to the jetty were obtained and are currently under review.

“The owner of the jetty, Mr. Ebenezer, was contacted by investigators and reportedly provided additional documents, including court orders, which are also being analysed as part of the investigation.

“On December 16, a joint investigation team led by the Head of Investigation of the SPT conducted a Joint Inspection Visit in Koko.

The team first met at Tantita’s corporate headquarters in Warri for a briefing, which was also attended by the jetty owner.

“During the inspection, investigators attempted to obtain samples from MT Thor but were unable to do so immediately as the vessel had not yet arrived at the jetty, having been towed from an earlier location by security operatives.

“While awaiting the vessel’s arrival, the team inspected other containers suspected to be carrying crude oil within the premises of Ebenco Global Links Limited, where samples were taken from a storage barge.

“MT Thor eventually berthed at about 8:30 p.m. on 16 December, prompting the joint team to adjourn sampling and other procedures until the following day.

As of 17 December 2025, investigators were reported to be en route to Koko to continue sample collection and complete investigation formalities,” the report read.

Receiving the suspects, the Head of the Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force, Omar Sini, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s resolve to dismantle crude oil theft networks in the Niger Delta, assuring that all findings would be thoroughly examined and prosecuted in line with the law.

Headlines

Mobereola, NIMASA DG, reflects on year 2025 with satisfaction, says 2026 holds promising opportunities for maritime industry

Funso OLOJO

The Director -General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has expressed his satisfaction over the achievements recorded in the maritime industry in the outgoing year of 2025, while looking forward to a promising 2026 with hope.

In his Christmas message to the stakeholders in the maritime industry, Dr Mobereola noted that the 2026 ended well with the election of Nigeria into the category C of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) after 14 years of failed attempts as well as zero occurrence of piracy attacks on Nigeria’ waters.

“The year 2025 has been a good one for our industry as once again, we have not recorded a single piracy attack in our waters in a whole calendar year, Nigeria was also able to deposit three Instruments of Accession to IMO Conventions that were signed by President Bola Tinubu ,we have been able to maintain industrial harmony in the sector all of which culminated to Nigeria’s election into the category C Council of the International Maritime Organization.

“We couldn’t have done this without our stakeholders who have contributed in various ways in the course of their operations during the year. We see you, we thank you and we felicitate with your during this yuletide season”Mobereola observed.

He however assured that the Agency will re-double efforts in ensuring that 2026 is even better for every stakeholder.

While calling on industry operators to brace up for the new year with hope of better times, Dr. Mobereola noted that “at NIMASA, we appreciate the weight of our renewed responsibility by virtue of Nigeria’s membership of the IMO Council because to whom much is given, much is definitely expected.

” You can therefore be sure of an increased momentum in our resolve to sustain maritime safety, security, environmental protection and adherence to relevant conventions and protocols with renewed vigour.”

The DG concluded by acknowledging the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, industry stakeholders, management and staff of NIMASA as well as all Nigerians and wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.