As Nigeria marked its 65th Independence Anniversary on October 1st, the Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC) has called for sober reflection on the state of the nation’s maritime industry a sector that remains the lifeline of Nigeria’s trade and economic survival.
According to the Head of Research at SEREC, Fwdr Eugene Nweke, over 80% of Nigeria’s trade flows through the maritime sector, yet the industry’s story continues to be defined more by its untapped potential than by its achievements.
In the past six decades, Nigeria has recorded notable milestones such as the expansion of Apapa, Tin Can, Calabar, and Onne ports; its leadership role in the Gulf of Guinea anti-piracy campaign; and the training of a growing pool of Nigerian seafarers through public–private pipelines. The re-emergence of a national container shipping operator also signals an ambition to reclaim a national maritime identity.
However, SEREC stressed that many systemic challenges persist. These include Nigeria’s import-dependent shipbuilding sector, the unsustainability of a single national carrier, poor multimodal integration that keeps ports heavily road-dependent, and the absence of green port initiatives to align with global decarbonisation standards. The imbalance between imports and non-oil exports also continues to drain foreign exchange while high security costs keep Gulf of Guinea trade overpriced.
On the positive side, the center acknowledged progress in reducing piracy incidents, expanded seafarer training, the activation of inland dry ports to decongest Lagos, and the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which opens new opportunities for diversification.
Looking ahead, SEREC recommended urgent structural reforms: linking maritime growth with industrialisation through revival of Nigeria’s steel industry; implementing Blue Economy policies beyond paper; fast-tracking multimodal transport systems to ease congestion; and ensuring that port revenue collections translate to lower costs and improved trade competitiveness.
“The hard truth at 65,” SEREC warned, “is that Nigeria’s maritime sector holds the promise of jobs, industrialisation, and regional leadership. But unless reforms are accelerated, we risk repeating the oil paradox: rising revenues, rising costs, and vanishing welfare.”
The center concluded that the next decade must focus on execution from steel revival and disciplined national carrier governance, to green port development, regulated seabed mining, empowered seafarers, and integrated transport networks if Nigeria is to harness the true wealth of its waters.