President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given the green light for the establishment and development of Inland Dry Ports (IDP) in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, and Moniya, Oyo State.
This decision, however, leaves out the development of Warri, Benin, Sapele, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Akwa Ibom Sea Ports, and the dredging of the River Niger and Oguta Lake in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
This move aims to reduce congestion at Lagos seaports, eliminate chronic delays, and boost the nation’s economy. The Inland Dry Ports, once completed, are expected to generate jobs for the youth in Ogun and Oyo States, as well as other states in the Western region.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed this during the 2025 Budget Defence to the Joint Committee of the Senate on Marine Transport and House of Representatives Committees on Ports and Harbour, Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Inland Waterways, and Shipping Services in Abuja.
Oyetola emphasized that these IDPs are targeted for fast-tracked delivery to decongest the Western Port System, with design consultancies for the project already underway. He also highlighted the notable deficiencies in the maritime sector, such as infrastructure decay, silted river courses, inadequate fish production, and insufficient river crafts, which require major attention.
The Ministry is initiating several projects and programs to address these challenges, focusing on ports infrastructural development, increased fish production, maritime safety and security, information technology deployment to improve operations and revenue generation, human capacity building, and effective technical and economic regulation to strengthen the blue economy across the country.
Under the 2024 appropriation, the Ministry finalized the preparation of Nigeria’s National Blue Economy Strategy, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, the Strategic Roadmap for Nigeria’s Blue Economy, and the National Policy for Marine and Blue Economy. These documents form the foundation for a sound policy framework for the Ministry.
Oyetola expressed his honor in addressing the Joint Committee of the Senate on Marine Transport and House Committees on Ports and Harbour, Marine Safety, Education and Administration, Inland Waterways, and Shipping Services during the 2025 Budget Defence. He clarified that three agencies under the Ministry—Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)—are fully self-funding and make significant remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF/TSA). The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, derive their funding from both the Federal Government Budget and Internally Generated Revenue. The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has been readmitted into the budget for funding, albeit erroneously under the Federal Ministry of Transport.
Oyetola also mentioned that the five agencies under the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector (Institutes and Colleges) are expected to come fully under the Ministry in the 2025 Budget, and he counts on the cooperation of the Joint Committee for this transition.
