The Executive Secretary of the Institute of Export Operations and Management (IEOM), Mr Ofon Udofia, has called on the federal government to implement a 30% rebate policy to revive the underutilized eastern ports.
He said the rebate will increase shipping operations in the East, and boost the region’s economy, warning that failure to take action will leave the country’s maritime economy in decline while other nations forge ahead economically.
Udofia made the appeal at the 2025 Correspondents’ Week Dinner, organized by the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Rivers State Correspondents’ Chapel, in Port Harcourt
He noted that the poor state of the Eastern Ports such as Calabar, Rivers, Onitsha, Onne, Warri and Koko ports, have made them “idle assets” that are wasting away due to years of policy neglect and lack of infrastructure investment.
Udofia said: “For the Eastern ports to work, there should be 30 percent rebate and you will see all the eastern ports open. Calabar Port is like a swimming pool today, while Koko Port is a forgotten project,” he lamented.
He faulted the “cosmetic approaches” to training and capacity building in the sector, he criticized the practice of issuing export licenses to individuals with no formal export knowledge.
“Nigeria is the only country in the world where people are given an export license without having any knowledge of export. You don’t learn export in seminars,” he argued.
Udofia stressed that to unlock the potential of the blue economy there must be strategic investments and policies that encourage trade through neglected maritime corridors.
Udofia also challenged the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) and other institutions in Rivers State to rise to the occasion, by offering blue economy as a course on campus.
“If you don’t do something on time, others will take over from you. Why is Uniport not offering blue economy as a course, to make Rivers State the centre of blue economy?”
He also noted that Nigeria’s current university curriculum is outdated and not designed to build entrepreneurs or solve practical problems.
“Our university curriculum is certificate-based. It was designed for people to graduate and work in the civil service, not to solve problems or create wealth,” he said.
Udofia also questioned the rationale behind NIMASA’s investment in seafarer training, despite Nigeria lacking a national fleet, wondering where such trainees will practice what they learnt.
“I read in the news that NIMASA paid N300 billion to train 3,000 seafarers, a country without any vessel or shipping line. So after their training, where will you place them?” he asked.
He described the recent policies under U.S. President Donald Trump — particularly those that reduced dependence on Chinese imports as an opportunity for Nigerian exporters.
“What Trump is doing is not a problem but an opportunity for countries like Nigeria to go into export and to increase our export capacity,” he said.
He also encouraged journalists to venture into business, proposing an NUJ Export Entrepreneurial Programme, with a focus on the eastern ports.
According to him, journalists are uniquely positioned to succeed in the export sector due to their reach, access, and research skills.
“Journalists can do brokerage by linking buyers to sellers all over the world and make a lot of money. You journalists have thinking fingers; there is no corner in Nigeria that you cannot enter and come out.
“You must wake up and export your service. When writing your news stories, look at the environment — there are so many products in Nigeria that are highly valued and highly priced abroad.”
Udofia linked Nigeria’s persistent insecurity to mass unemployment, emphasizing that the export value chain could be a powerful tool for job creation and economic stability.
“See the issue of insecurity in this country is fuelled by unemployment. Anyone who is gainfully employed cannot go into kidnapping or banditry. Export value chain is a sector that can curb unemployment in Nigeria,” he stated.
Earlier, chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr. Ameachi Okonkwo, called for sustained reporting on the blue economy and maritime issues in the Niger Delta and beyond.
“Blue economy has the huge potential to boost Rivers State economy. Let us not stop writing on the blue economy as the week ends, but let’s continue the discussions,” Okonkwo said.
