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

NIWA partners ICPC to strengthen internal transparency in its operations

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has announced new strategies aimed at improving its operational system and enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders as part of efforts to boost efficiency and accountability.

Speaking at a post event Press Conference at NIWA Headquarters Lokoja, the Acting Managing Director, Umar Yusuf Girei, while answering questions from journalists stated that, the organization convened a two -day Executive and Anti-Corruption training with the theme “Strengthening Integrity and Revenue System in Inland Waterways Management” organized for Board Members, Management and Area Managers and also 2026 NIWA Management Retreat in Abuja.

The Acting MD noted as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,with the support Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, the Authority is focused on aligning institutional goals in ensuring better service delivery to Nigerians.

He further said, as part of its anti-corruption drive, the Management held discussions with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to explore measures for strengthening transparency within its operations.

Girei therefore, assured staff that the ongoing reforms under his watch would translate into improved service and better working conditions.

“NIWA remains committed to continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement and the reforms are expected to enhance both internal performance and public confidence”. he stated.

Headlines

Navy appoints new Maritime Guard Commander for NIMASA

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has approved the appointment of Commodore Reginald Odeodi Adoki as the Commander of the Maritime Guard Command at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Commodore Adoki takes over from Commodore H.C Oriekeze who has been redeployed.

Commodore Adoki, a principal Warfare Officer specializing in communication and intelligence, brings onboard 25 years experience in the Nigerian Navy covering training, staff and operations.

As a seaman, he has commanded NNS Andoni, NNS Kyanwa and NNS Kada.

It was under his command that NNS Kada under took her maiden voyage, sailing from the country of build (the United Arab Emirates) into Nigeria.

He was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy in 2000 with a BSc in Mathematics.

He has since earned a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos and an M.Sc in Terrorism, Security and Policing at University of Leicester, England.

He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Defence and Security Studies at the National Defence Academy (NDA).

He is a highly decorated officer with several medals for distinguished service.

Welcoming the new MGC Commander to the Agency, the Director General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, expressed confidence in Adoki’s addition to the team, emphasising that it will further strengthen the nation’s maritime security architecture given his vast experience in the industry.

The Maritime Guard Command domiciled in NIMASA was established as part of the resolutions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Navy to assist NIMASA strengthen operational efficiency in Nigeria’s territorial waters, especially through enforcement of security, safety and other maritime regulations.

Customs

Customs collects N1.585 trillion from 51 compliant traders under AEO programme

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), one of the trade facilitation tools introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service in 2025, has begun to yield bountiful harvests with the revenue growth of ₦362.79 billion recorded in 2025.

According to the AEO scorecard released by the Service, the facilitation tool grossed the sum of N1.585 trillion after certification, an increase revenue from N1.222 trillion before certification.

This represents the growth of N362.79 billion(29.68 per cent) for 51 AEO – certified entities as at October, 2025.

The Programme, according to the NCS, also contributed 21.77% to its total revenue collection of ₦7.281 trillion in 2025, while customs duties paid rose by 85.66% due to enhanced compliance and increased volumes of legitimate trade.

According to AEO Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report, the Programme achieved an average compliance rate of 85.45 per cent with the highest at 100 per cent and the lowest at 60 per cent.

“The evaluation applied rigorous methodologies to ensure objectivity, transparency, and alignment with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards and the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

“In the area of trade facilitation, AEO participation reduced average cargo clearance time from 168 hours to 41 hours, representing a 75.60% time saving.

“Company operating costs declined by 57.2 per cent while demurrage payments dropped by 90 per cent, limiting capital flight to foreign-owned port service providers and strengthening foreign exchange retention.

” Overall trade efficiency improved by 77.11 per through digitalisation, simplified procedures, and targeted risk management” the Customs declared in the AEO scorecard.

However, the Service singled out with Eight companies for commendation due to their integrity and compliance under the programme.

The companies include Coleman Technical Industries Limited, WACOT Rice Limited, ROMSON Oil Field Services Ltd, WACOT Limited, Chi Farms Ltd, CORMART Nigeria Ltd, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.

The Service lauded them for a cumulative voluntary remittance of over a billion naira into the Federation Account following their self-initiated transaction review and disclosure.

“These actions reflect the strengthening of post-clearance audit mechanisms and a growing culture of voluntary compliance within the trading community.

Nevertheless, the Service suspended a firm under the programme for its non- compliance and display of lack of integrity.

The suspended firm engaged in false declaration of consignments contrary to programme obligations.

“Consequently, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, directed the immediate suspension of the company’s AEO status in accordance with the AEO Guidelines, the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards, and Section 112 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

The NCS reiterated that the AEO Programme is founded on trust, transparency, and continuous compliance.

“While compliant operators will continue to benefit from expedited clearance and reduced inspection, appropriate sanctions will be applied where violations are established.

“The Service remains resolute in safeguarding national revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, and preserving the integrity and global credibility of Nigeria’s AEO framework” the NCS concluded in the report.