Politics
Oyetola Calls for Strong African Representation in IMO’s Decarbonisation Policy
The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has urged African nations to ensure their voices are heard as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) advances its regulatory framework on decarbonisation.
Speaking at the maiden African Summit on Shipping Decarbonisation held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Oyetola emphasized the need for Africa to safeguard its interests in shaping policies that impact economies and livelihoods.
“The global shipping industry is at a pivotal juncture as the IMO is set to finalize and adopt the policy framework on the revised Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction Strategy and the basket of midterm measures this autumn,” he stated.
He stressed that decarbonisation must be pursued in a just and equitable manner, ensuring that no African nation is left behind. He also highlighted the broad impact of shipping decarbonisation beyond vessels, touching sectors such as transport, environment, climate change, trade, and investment.
Panelists at the summit noted that Africa has the highest number of IMO member countries and advised Nigerian delegates to actively participate in negotiations rather than remain passive observers.
The event, organized by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in collaboration with UCL Energy Institute and The Bartlett School of Energy, Environment, and Resources, was attended by key stakeholders, including representatives from the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). NIWA’s Managing Director, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, was represented by Surv. James Olawale Adetola, alongside other top officials.
Blue Economy
Outboard Engines, Jetties, Fuel Points: Lagos Boat Operators Table Survival Demands Ahead of New Administration
Outboard Engines, Jetties, Fuel Points: Lagos Boat Operators Table Survival Demands Ahead of New Administration
ATBOWATON seeks engine subsidies, flexible repayment terms and more infrastructure for remote communities, while commending LASWA, NIWA and the state government on safety gains
Boat operators in Lagos have asked the next state administration for engine subsidies, flexible repayment arrangements, more jetties and more fuel stations, saying these are needed to keep water transport growing.
The demands came from the Lagos State Chapter of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) at a political awareness programme organised with its national leadership. Operators, government representatives and political stakeholders discussed what the sector expects from the next government.
Deputy Chairman Babatunde Segun said some members have lost boats or are stuck with faulty engines and cannot work at full capacity. He asked for engine subsidies and flexible repayment terms so affected operators can rebuild. He also called for sustained attention to safety, security, youth employment and tourism, saying these would create jobs and ease pressure on Lagos roads.
Segun credited the present administration with adding jetties and supporting more fuel stations, which ended long trips to reach workable operating points. He also praised joint state and federal efforts to clear dangerous debris from the waterways, which he said has cut accidents and damage to boats and engines. He stressed that remote communities still lack adequate jetties and fuel points.
Founding National Chairman Dr Tarzan Balogun warned that accidents could erode commuter confidence and urged operators to make safety their first priority. He commended LASWA and NIWA for monitoring and for providing life jackets, and called for closer cooperation among federal, state and local governments.
Representing the Special Adviser on Blue Economy, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, Mr Oladayo Ibrahim said Lagos is committed to becoming a leading maritime and water transport hub. He cited the Omi Eko Project, with modern ferries, electric vessels, better terminals, dredging and digital systems. He said existing operators must not be shut out of the new opportunities, and urged them to embrace professionalism, safety and compliance.
Oriade LCDA Chairman Rasaq Olotede praised investments in jetties and terminals across Badagry Division, including Ilashe, Ibeshe and Kirikiri Town, and commended operators for using life jackets.
The association also endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and Dr Kadri Hamzat’s governorship ambition.
NIGERIA WATCH
The operators’ message to Omi Eko planners is simple: don’t build the future over our heads. Omi Eko plans 15 ferry routes over 140 kilometres, linking 25 upgraded terminals, served by 75 electric vessels of up to 440 passengers each. Small “banana” boats carrying up to 17 passengers still dominate Lagos waterways. Those are the operators now asking for engine support. Officials have said private ferry operators will run the new electric vessels under a public-private framework. The open question is whether small operators get a real place in that framework or are phased out.
Omi Eko runs from 2024 to 2030 at a total cost of €410 million. That timeline is long for an operator with a dead engine today. The immediate gap between the megaproject and the informal operators who carry most passengers is the kind of policy-versus-delivery gap Waterways News keeps tracking, alongside NIWA-LASWA coordination and the safety record on inland waterways.
Port Projects Feature in Rainbow Coalition’s South-West Push for Tinubu’s Second Term
Coalition Opens South-West Campaign for Tinubu 2027, Points to Maritime Gain
Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News
A group calling itself the Rainbow Coalition Movement–South West has begun grassroots mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid in the 2027 presidential election, and has cited port development among its reasons. The movement’s Convener, Prince (Hon.) Olu Adefioye, announced the move on Friday at a press conference at Atinuke Complex, Okota Road, along the Oshodi-Apapa Road, Lagos.
Adefioye described the coalition as non-partisan and non-affiliated. He said its members come from several parties, including the APC, PDP, Accord, APM and APGA. He listed youth and women leaders, professionals, artisans, traders and students across Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states among its supporters.
The group says its aim is to mobilise and sensitise citizens in support of what it calls continuity of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Adefioye urged members to go door to door and to do community advocacy, saying this was no time for “armchair politics.”
Foundations argument
Explaining the coalition’s position, Adefioye compared Tinubu’s years as Lagos governor with his federal tenure. He argued that the groundwork laid in Lagos still shapes the state’s development, and that national reforms need a second term to take hold.
He acknowledged the economic hardship many Nigerians face. He maintained that the reforms would pay off in the long run and said citizens would begin to feel the dividends of democracy as projects mature.
Maritime case
Speaking as a maritime professional, Adefioye pointed to port development as evidence of the administration’s direction. He said the government was building up seaports in the eastern, western and mid-western parts of the country, and that this would connect the regions and strengthen national cohesion.
The coalition also expressed support for FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, whom Adefioye called an important figure in the administration. He said the movement was collaborating with Wike and awaiting direction. The group adopted the slogan “Unity, Progress, Good Governance, Democracy.”
Nigeria Watch
What the claims rest on. The port record Adefioye cited is real, though much of it is still at the approval stage. On September 27, Marine and Blue Economy Minister Adegboyega Oyetola announced approval for the modernisation of Onne, Rivers, Delta and Calabar ports, building on the earlier Apapa and Tin Can Island approval. The government has also approved six deep seaports: Ibom, Bakassi, Agge, Gateway, Ondo and Bonny.
Ogun is the major deal. Ogun State and DP World signed MoUs in Paris on Thursday for the Gateway Deep Seaport and a 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone. The deals are projected to draw over $7 billion in initial investment and create more than 50,000 direct jobs. MoUs are not final investment decisions, so the commitment still has to be converted into financing and construction.
Delivery timeline. NPA Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho said earlier this month that physical works under the $1 billion port modernisation programme would begin by the end of Q3 2026, with visible upgrades from Q4. Stakeholders should watch whether that holds.
The gap in the pitch. The coalition’s maritime case rests entirely on seaports. Nothing in its remarks addressed inland waterways, small-scale boat operators or the cabotage financing issues that matter to many Waterways News readers. Those operators will want to see whether any candidate’s platform covers them, especially on the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund and NIWA-LASWA regulatory clarity.
Not an endorsement. This is a political group’s advocacy, not an assessment of government performance. Port approvals are not completed projects, and the coalition itself admitted that the cost of living is hurting people.
Tinubu Places Hydrography at Heart of Nigeria’s Maritime Agenda — Matawalle
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Lagos Correspondent
The Federal Government has signalled a renewed commitment to hydrography as a strategic pillar of Nigeria’s maritime development, with the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle, declaring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has placed the discipline at the centre of the nation’s maritime priorities.
Matawalle made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hydrographic Agency (NHA), Rear Admiral O.O. Fadahunsi, who led a management delegation on a courtesy visit to the minister.
Federal Government Reaffirms Support for NHA
In a statement released through his Personal Assistant on Media, Ahmad Dan-Wudil, the minister said the Federal Government remains firmly committed to strengthening Nigeria’s hydrographic infrastructure to support improved marine navigation, defence operations, and ocean-based economic activities.
Matawalle stressed that the National Hydrographic Agency occupies a critical position in Nigeria’s broader maritime ambitions, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea — a zone where overlapping concerns over maritime security and resource governance continue to demand sustained governmental attention.
He noted that hydrographic work underpins the country’s emerging Blue Economy agenda, which seeks to expand maritime trade while ensuring the sustainable exploitation of ocean and riverine resources.
Nigeria Positioned for Regional Leadership
The minister expressed confidence that existing policy frameworks under the Renewed Hope administration have positioned Nigeria to assume a leadership role in hydrography across the West African sub-region. He pledged that government support would be sustained to improve navigational safety, enhance maritime security, and deepen scientific data generation to serve national development objectives.
Rear Admiral Fadahunsi, for his part, commended the minister for what he described as consistent support and visionary leadership. He affirmed the agency’s readiness to work in concert with relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to strengthen intergovernmental coordination and build greater hydrographic resilience. Both parties indicated that the meeting focused on expanding Nigeria’s hydrographic capacity in line with global maritime standards.
Nigeria Watch
For the Nigerian maritime sector, this development carries significant operational implications.
Hydrography — the science of measuring and describing the physical features of navigable waters — is the often-overlooked backbone of safe shipping, port operations, and offshore resource extraction. Without current, accurate hydrographic data, vessels navigating Nigeria’s coastal waters, the Niger Delta creeks, and the nation’s inland waterways do so at elevated risk.
The National Hydrographic Agency, which is mandated to produce and maintain nautical charts covering Nigerian waters, has historically operated with limited visibility in national maritime policy discussions. Its elevation to a stated priority under the Tinubu administration — articulated at the level of the Defence Ministry — signals a more integrated, security-conscious approach to maritime domain awareness.
For port operators, shipping companies, and offshore energy stakeholders, a well-funded and operationally capable NHA translates directly to more reliable navigational data, reduced insurance risk premiums, and safer routing in Nigeria’s busiest sea lanes. For NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy, improved hydrographic coverage strengthens the infrastructure for maritime domain awareness and threat response in the Gulf of Guinea, where Nigeria continues to assert its role as the dominant maritime power.
The blue economy dimension is equally noteworthy. Hydrographic surveys are a prerequisite for viable offshore wind energy development, aquaculture zoning, and the delimitation of maritime boundaries — all areas where Nigeria’s policy ambitions have outpaced technical groundwork. If this stated presidential prioritisation translates into budgetary commitments and institutional capacity-building for the NHA, it could mark a foundational shift in how Nigeria approaches its vast but under-mapped maritime estate.
Stakeholders will be watching to see whether the rhetoric of prioritisation is matched by concrete resource allocation in the next budget cycle.
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