Blue Economy: Nigeria may not attain full potential with docility of Nigerian Institute for Oceanography – Aderibigbe, Publisher of Maritime First

Nigeria may not attain her full potential under the Blue Economy with the perceived docility of the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos, in providing the much-needed ocean-based research, particularly for fishing.

A long-standing maritime journalist and publisher of Maritime First Newspaper, Mr. Dele Aderibigbe, underscored the role of key stakeholders, particularly Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, in the nation’s Blue Economy in a paper he presented at the 2025 Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Media Capacity Building for Journalists in Lagos on Monday, July 21 at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

The theme of the capacity building, held in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council, was Shaping Nigeria’s Business & Economic Growth: Insights from the Media.

In his paper – Harnessing Opportunities in Nigeria’s Blue Economy for Economic Development, Dele Aderibigbe chronicled various economic benefits accrued to the country under the Blue Economy but expressed dismay with the poor management of the nation’s maritime industry.

He said the continued charging of War Risk Insurance premiums on vessels coming to Nigeria by foreign insurance firms and lack of research, particularly in fishing, stemmed from failure of stakeholders not performing their roles as expected.

According to him, an enviable energy is expected to exist between the Gown and the Town, to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the theoretical knowledge and on-the-ground empirical experience.

Sadly however, this is conspicuously missing, hence whereas the research from the IITA Ibadan periodically gets to the yam farmers, in the form of minisure, the local fisherman can hardly boast of gains from the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The government is expected to actually develop and execute maritime policies and infrastructure to enhance its blue economy, improve port infrastructure, push back against the War Risk Insurance (WRI) premiums levied on ships coming to Nigeria and boost national security.

Aderibigbe submitted that Nigeria stands the chance of ending poverty, unemployment and budget deficit if it could judiciously manage her vast ocean resources. He commended Chevron Nigeria Limited in its contributions to economic growth of Nigeria and providing empowerment for Nigerian journalists.

Earlier in his welcome, the NUJ Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, said the training came up at a very suspicious time that the economy of the nation and business climate is undergoing surgery and rejuvenation by the Federal Government.
Ajayi said Chevron Nigeria Limited is passionate about the transformation of the nation’s economy as this was one of the reasons why the training was being organized to collate all shades of opinions and views on how to bring the Nigerian economy back on track.

In his remarks at the training, Mr. Olusoga Oduselu, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Limited, thanked the media for their impactful role in reporting on the oil and gas industry and providing effective perspectives on complex industry operations.

Oduselu said Chevron recognized the need for capacity building for the media practitioners to enhance their ability to perform their duties, noting that this was the reason why Chevron pioneered the Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES) in collaboration with the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos as over 120 journalists have benefited since its inception in 2014.

“Through programmes such as AWARES and this current journalism training, we help to improve professional capacity and build lasting partnerships with our media stakeholders.

“We also recognize that the success of the larger society invariably translates to success in our business; and we believe it is our long-term interest to add value to society as we create value for our stakeholders,” said Oduselu.

He said Chevron has contributed the sustainable development of communities where it operates, saying that the company is one of the highest contributors of high-quality domestic gas in Nigeria among International Oil Companies (IOCs).

“We are committed to lowering carbon emissions and reducing gas flaring in Nigeria. Through investments in gathering and processing of associated gas, routine flaring has been reduced by over 97% in the past 10 years in Chevron Nigeria Limited’s operations,” said Oduselu, who said his organization is open to dialogue on issues that directly affect it or the oil and gas industry.

Other papers presented at the training were – Unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector for sustainable economic growth by Chief Goddy Ikeh, Leveraging money market and capital markets to accelerate Nigeria’s economic transformation by Wunmi Asafa, and Building a practical and impactful budget for Nigeria’s economic future by Ugonma Cokey, Deputy Director Training, Voice of Nigeria.