Nigeria’s return to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council has been widely celebrated within the regional maritime bloc, but the seat comes with responsibilities that require deeper maritime reform, ADAKU ONYENUCHEYA reports.
Nigeria’s maritime community was thrown into celebration on November 28, 2025, when the country returned to the Category C seat on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council for the 2026–2027 biennium, marking a comeback after 14 years of absence and several failed attempts.
The country’s return to the IMO Council reflects a renewed vote of confidence in its role within the international maritime system, according to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, while addressing dignitaries, diplomats and representatives of member states, at an appreciation lunch in London on Monday.
Oyetola noted that the support Nigeria received during the election was a reaffirmation of global confidence in the country’s constructive engagement and its commitment to contributing effectively to the IMO’s mission.
He highlighted that the IMO’s mandate extends to improving international maritime safety, driving decarbonisation, protecting the marine environment, enhancing maritime security and building a sustainable blue economy.
Nigeria, he said, is fully committed to justifying the trust placed in it through purposeful leadership and meaningful collaboration. He pledged closer cooperation with member states, the IMO Secretariat and industry stakeholders to improve global maritime safety, sustainability and economic growth.
According to the Minister, the confidence shown by the international community strengthens Nigeria’s resolve to deliver measurable and beneficial outcomes throughout the 2026–2027 biennium.
Demands of IMO Category C Seat
NIGERIA joined 19 other countries elected in Category C at the 34th session of the IMO General Assembly in London, which include Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa and Türkiye.
These 20 countries are recognised for their special interests in maritime transport and navigation and are selected to ensure balanced geographical representation within the IMO Council. For the 2026–2027 biennium, Nigeria will represent the interests of West and Central African nations in global maritime governance and help bridge the gaps.
Nigeria will also present challenges facing the nations in the region at the council’s global agenda, such as piracy, oil theft, environmental pollution, capacity gaps, technical assistance needs, and influencing international safety standards.
This seat will also strengthen domestic maritime industries, including ship registries, seafarer training, port development, enhancing credibility and attracting investment as elected countries on the council supervise programmes, approve budgets, and steer regulatory priorities, while preventing dominance by the major shipping powers in Categories A and B.
The 10 members of Category, comprising the world’s leading providers of international shipping services, are China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Panama, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Similarly, the 10 countries in Category B, representing nations with the largest interests in international seaborne trade, are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.
The task ahead
WHILE Nigeria continues to celebrate its return to the IMO Council, industry experts have urged the Ministry and its agencies to translate this vote of confidence into tangible improvements in maritime governance, safety and commercial competitiveness for countries in West and Central Africa.
They also urged the Federal Government to leverage the Council seat to address the persistent gaps that had kept Nigeria off the body for so long, noting that if the next two years are focused on implementation and credible technical engagement, the next election could be a walkover for Nigeria.
Nigeria had previously secured the IMO Council seat in 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2009, but subsequently lost the elections in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 due to structural lapses.
These included poor preparation, weak diplomatic networking and regional bloc support, late and disorganised campaign planning, failure to implement findings and recommendations from the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), a weak indigenous shipping sector, and inadequate seafarers’ training and welfare.
Other challenges included piracy, delays in updating maritime legislation, slow enforcement of safety and environmental standards, and inconsistent compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code across ports.
However, Nigeria addressed these structural gaps, with the most important one being strengthening its diplomatic networking and regional bloc support.
Unlike previous years, Nigeria began a strategic, centrally coordinated and diplomatically aggressive campaign while engaging African Union blocs, Caribbean clusters, Middle Eastern maritime hubs, Asian port states and European partners.
Among the countries engaged in this diplomatic outreach are Greece, Spain, Oman, Bangladesh, Namibia, Mexico, Italy, Tanzania, China and the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa (MOWCA), comprising 25 countries.
The Secretary-General of MOWCA, Dr Paul Adalikwu, described Nigeria’s victory as a win for all MOWCA member countries as they would now enjoy a greater representation in the IMO’s executive organ between Assembly sessions and effectively steer the organisation’s work programme, budget and policy direction.
According to him, MOWCA views Nigeria as a country capable of representing other maritime nations in the region, given its extensive involvement in multimodal trade logistics and dry ports operations.
However, industry experts have outlined areas Nigeria must urgently address in the next two years at the Council, which include boosting shipyards and registries, seafaring training and manpower development, security and port infrastructure upgrade and enhancing regional trade, among others.
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) revealed an anticipated 90,000 global seafarers shortfall by 2026, with only 1.9 million seafarers sailing worldwide.
According to industry experts, Africa emerges as an untapped resource for seafarers, currently accounting for only three per cent of the global seafarer pool.
Nigeria contributes only 0.3 per cent to the global seafaring workforce, with only about 6,000 registered sailors due to limited training vessels, inadequate sea-time opportunities, and persistent non-recognition of its certifications internationally.
Many maritime academies in Africa struggle with outdated curricula and limited resources, while young seafarers face challenges meeting international certification standards, resulting in capable African professionals frequently being overlooked for opportunities that match their skills and potential.
National President of Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), Capt. Tajudeen Alao said the country’s training framework suffers from deep structural inconsistencies that continue to push Nigerian seafarers out of global relevance.
According to him, many Nigerian marine technicians and cadets lack essential certifications, which automatically disqualify them from employment in regions like Canada, the United States and other advanced maritime nations.
He so noted that conflicting standards set by the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and University regulatory bodies have created confusion and weakened Nigeria’s certification credibility.
Alao warned that unless Nigeria overhauls its maritime education system, enforces uniform standards, and reforms certification processes, the country will remain an insignificant player in the global manpower market, despite the projected 90,000 global seafarer shortfall by 2026.
Former Executive at Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Captain Yusuf Hambali, stated that Nigeria must adopt incentive-driven models similar to the United Kingdom, where shipping companies enjoy tax reliefs for cadet training. He proposed discounted rates or partial tax exemptions for firms that employ or train Nigerian cadets.
“If we can incentivise foreign companies that come to lift crude oil or gas, it will not only aid cadet training, but also reduce unemployment. Even if the government is not taxing them directly, seafarers’ earnings will still circulate within the Nigerian economy,” he noted.
On shipping, the MOWCA Secretary General had lamented that all state-owned shipping lines established in West and Central Africa between 1975 and 1990 have ceased to exist.
Adalikwu decried the lack of African ship ownership, leading to losses in billions of dollars in capital flight to foreign ship owners in the form of freight charges.
The Head of Research, Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC), Eugene Nweke, said over 90 per cent of trade in Africa is moved by sea, with less than five per cent indigenous shipping participation.
He said 95 per cent of cargoes are carried by foreign liners with an estimated yearly loss of $6 billion to $8 billion in Nigeria, due to weak governance and coordination.
Nweke explained that bridging shipping carriage gaps requires financing, will, accountability and leadership discipline to revive fleet ownership in Africa without heavy state spending.
Senior Partner at Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), Dr Olisa Agbakoba, revealed that more than 25,000 foreign vessels illegally engage in coastal trade, depriving Nigeria of an estimated N8 trillion yearly, noting that strengthening enforcement of the Cabotage Act 2003 would reverse this trend and boost indigenous shipping capacity and and seafaring jobs.
He also lamented that Nigeria loses an estimated N20 billion daily to cargo diversion to neighbouring ports in Cotonou, Tema and Lomé due to inadequate port infrastructure development.
The maritime lawyer argued that reforming and modernising the port system could unlock around N14 trillion yearly through tariffs, cargo handling fees and special economic zones.
Agbakoba also highlighted that developing a functional multimodal transport system could generate N10 trillion to N12 trillion yearly through tolling, ferry services, logistics and tourism for Nigeria.
Managing Director, Harsecom Logistics Limited, Haruna Omolajomo, said regional maritime banks should be operational to fund maritime infrastructure and shipping with a minimum interest as obtainable in the advanced countries.
“It is a known fact that Nigeria boasts of over 835 kilometres of coastlines, more than 1,000 kilometres of inland waterways and a vast exclusive economic zone. This should be maintained to the international standard. The inland waterways security should be improved. Modern and international barges and safety boats should be allowed to operate on these waterways.
“Our waterways should be made accident-free through legislation, close monitoring and enforcing the safety laws by the concerned authorities. By the time the IMO sees our improvement in these areas, there is no way they will not appreciate us and our efforts,” he said.
He also noted that for Nigeria to retain the position, it must continue to transform maritime agencies such as the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Inland Waterways (NIWA) and NIMASA.
According to him, these agencies should strive extra hard to always ensure efficiency in service delivery. He advised Nigeria to learn from its past mistakes made 14 years and avoid anything that will expose it to losing this hard-earned position.
Government Assurance
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy outlined the reforms currently underway, which aim to strengthen maritime safety and security, modernise ports, enhance flag and port state administration, advance hydrographic capabilities, improve seafarer development and expand critical maritime infrastructure.
He emphasised that ensuring a safer, greener and more efficient maritime environment is a shared global responsibility, noting that improvements in Nigeria’s maritime domain positively influence international shipping and coastal nations alike.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism, Oyetola stated that the country will continue championing the values that underpin the IMO – cooperation, transparency, regulatory stability and equitable global maritime development.
“As a Council member, Nigeria intends to intensify advocacy for capacity-building for developing nations, expand avenues for technical cooperation and promote a level playing field that enables all states to confront emerging maritime challenges effectively,” he stated.
The Minister said the confidence shown by the international community strengthens Nigeria’s resolve to deliver measurable, beneficial outcomes throughout the 2026–2027 biennium. Oyetola reaffirmed that Nigeria looks forward to deepening cooperation and shared progress during its term on the IMO Council.
