Tinubu unveils blueprint to harness Nigeria’s marine wealth, boost security

Abdullateef Fowewe

President Bola Tinubu has launched a comprehensive security and economic framework focused on unlocking Nigeria’s vast marine resources within the blue economy, positioning it as a key driver for national transformation.

Speaking at a Presidential Parley with Senior Executive Course 47 participants from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), President Tinubu—represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima—declared the blue economy a “strategic pathway for diversifying our revenue base, creating sustainable employment and revitalising the ecosystems that sustain national development.”

He emphasised the potential of Nigeria’s 853-kilometre coastline and strategic Gulf of Guinea location, saying, “If properly harnessed, this sector could become an anchor of shared prosperity for generations.”

The President welcomed the findings from NIPSS’s study titled “Blue Economy and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,” praising the institute for its “analytical rigour, creativity and patriotic duty” and directed all ministries and agencies to immediately implement its recommendations.

Key priorities outlined include aquaculture expansion, modernising port and maritime corridors, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, and renewable ocean energy development.

Recognising security as pivotal, President Tinubu reaffirmed commitment to tackling persistent threats such as oil theft, illegal fishing, smuggling, and kidnapping, stating, “These threats are real, and this Administration is taking decisive steps to address them.”

He assigned NIPSS an expanded role to perform a nationwide security diagnostic with a mandate to propose actionable reforms for Nigeria’s security architecture within a set timeline.

NIPSS Director-General Professor Ayo Omotayo highlighted the institution’s extensive research involving visits to Nigerian states and 14 countries abroad, noting the report’s call for a national fisheries expansion programme to boost fish production from 1.2 to 10 metric tonnes in two years through public-private partnerships.

The report also identified governance, coordination, and infrastructure gaps, urging the government to harmonize legal frameworks and strengthen marine safety and job creation schemes.

Tinubu contrasted progress on piracy reduction through the Deep Blue Project with ongoing challenges, underscoring his administration’s goal to convert Nigeria’s marine endowments into “a major driver of economic diversification, job creation and long-term prosperity.”