The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) says Nigeria has recorded a steady decline in piracy incidents compared to peak years, attributing the progress to multinational patrols and growing investments in surveillance.
SEREC’s Head of Research, Eugene Nweke, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday in a statement marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.
According to him, Nigeria has also made gains in the blue economy, including the expansion of seafarer training, with hundreds of cadets now completing mandatory sea-time to build a stronger maritime workforce. In addition, inland container depots and dry ports are being activated to ease congestion along the Lagos trade corridor, reflecting modest progress toward multimodal transport.
However, Nweke warned that Nigeria’s maritime growth remains constrained by the absence of a strong steel industry. Without this foundation, shipyards remain import-dependent and uncompetitive, limiting the country’s ability to support large-scale ship repair and shipbuilding.
He also highlighted the national carrier gap, stressing that one operator alone does not make a maritime nation. True sustainability, he argued, requires governance free from political capture, backed by private capital and long-term structural reforms.
Nweke pointed out that Nigeria’s ports are still overly road-dependent, with underdeveloped rail and inland waterways slowing competitiveness. He also noted that environmental sustainability has not been fully integrated into port concessions, leaving Nigeria at risk of falling behind global decarbonisation standards.
On trade, Nweke said Nigeria continues to face a widening imbalance, importing machinery, food, and refined fuel at volumes that far exceed non-oil exports, thereby draining foreign exchange. He called for linking maritime development with industrialisation by reviving the steel industry, even through modular mini-mills, to build a credible shipbuilding and repair base.
“The Blue Economy policy must move beyond paper. Fisheries, aquaculture, ocean energy, and seabed mining can serve as new engines of growth if anchored in research, sustainability, and transparent regulation,” he said.
He further stressed that multimodal transport is critical for efficiency. “Until rail, barge, and inland port integration become functional, Apapa and Tin Can will remain choke points undermining trade competitiveness.”
Nweke added that Nigeria’s maritime sector holds vast potential for job creation, industrialisation, and regional leadership, but warned that the next decade must focus on execution rather than ceremonial speeches.
“At 65, the time for talk is over. The next phase must deliver steel for shipbuilding, disciplined carrier governance, green ports, regulated seabed mining, empowered seafarers, and full multimodal integration. Only then will Nigeria’s maritime sector reflect the true wealth of its waters,” he said.