From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Ofon Udofia, Executive Secretary of the Institute of Export Operations and Management (IEOM), has urged the federal government to introduce a 30 percent rebate to revitalise Nigeria’s underused eastern ports, warning that inaction risks a further decline in the maritime economy.
Speaking at the 2025 Correspondents’ Week Dinner hosted by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Correspondents’ Chapel, in Port Harcourt, Udofia said the policy would ease high shipping costs stifling businesses in the region.
He lamented the neglect of ports like Calabar, Rivers, Onitsha, Onne, Warri, and Koko, calling them “idle assets” due to poor infrastructure and policy failures.
“For the eastern ports to work, there should be 30 percent rebate and you will see all the eastern ports open,” he stated. “Calabar Port is like a swimming pool today. Koko Port is a forgotten project.”
Udofia emphasised that strategic investments could unlock the blue economy’s potential, urging the University of Port Harcourt to lead by offering related courses. “Why is Uniport not offering blue economy as a course to make Rivers State the centre of blue economy?” he asked. He also proposed an NUJ Export Entrepreneurial Programme, noting journalists’ skills make them ideal for export brokerage.
“Journalists can do brokerage by linking buyers to sellers all over the world and make a lot of money,” he said. “You journalists have thinking fingers; there is no corner in Nigeria that you cannot enter and come out of. You must wake up and export your service.”
Linking insecurity to unemployment, Udofia argued, “See, the issue of insecurity in this country is fuelled by unemployment. Anyone who is gainfully employed cannot go into kidnapping or banditry. The export value chain is a sector that can curb unemployment in Nigeria.”
He criticised superficial training in the sector, saying, “Nigeria is the only country in the world where people are given an export licence without having any knowledge of export. You don’t learn export in seminars.”
Udofia questioned NIMASA’s ₦300 billion investment in training 3,000 seafarers without a national fleet, asking, “So, after their training, where will you place them?” He also called Nigeria’s university curriculum outdated, stating, “Our university curriculum is certificate-based.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.”
On global trade, he viewed US policies under President Donald Trump as opportunities 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.
Amaechi Okonkwo, Correspondents’ Chapel chairman, echoed the call for sustained focus, saying, “The blue economy has the huge potential to boost Rivers State economy. Let us not stop writing on the blue economy as the weekends, but let’s continue the discussions.”
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