The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has stated that the country’s sustained reform-driven agenda, focused on maritime safety and security, capacity development, and other areas, led to Nigeria’s successful return to the International Maritime Organisation Council in 2025 after a 14-year absence.
This comes as the agency acknowledged closing 2025 on a strong footing, posting significant achievements that bolstered Nigeria’s maritime sector and improved the nation’s profile in global maritime governance.
The Head of Public Relations at NIMASA, Osagie Edward, disclosed this in a press statement obtained by The PUNCH over the weekend.
Osagie explained that under the leadership of the agency’s Director-General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, NIMASA has earned commendations from the Presidency, maritime institutions, labour unions and a broad spectrum of industry stakeholders.
According to him, throughout the year under review, NIMASA, operating under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, “sustained a reform-driven agenda focused on maritime safety and security, capacity development, regulatory efficiency, labour harmony and international engagement. These deliberate efforts culminated in one of Nigeria’s most significant maritime milestones in recent history, the country’s successful return to the International Maritime Organisation Council after a 14-year absence.”
He explained that following Nigeria’s election into Category C of the IMO Council for the 2026–2027 biennium, President Tinubu, while commending the management of NIMASA, described the achievement as a strong affirmation of Nigeria’s growing influence in global maritime governance.
Osagie emphasised that with this development, Nigeria has been restored to a strategic global platform where it can meaningfully contribute to shaping international shipping policies, maritime safety standards and sustainable ocean governance.
“Another major highlight of the year was NIMASA’s successful hosting of the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation, Mr Arsenio Dominguez, the world’s leading maritime official. The historic visit underscored Nigeria’s renewed relevance within the global maritime community,” he stated.
He highlighted that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, personally led the engagement, providing strategic leadership and hosting the IMO Secretary-General, while NIMASA, as Nigeria’s nodal agency to the IMO, coordinated technical sessions and stakeholder interactions.
Osagie mentioned that the visit further reinforced international confidence in Nigeria’s maritime reforms and institutional capacity.
The NIMASA image-maker pointed out that working in synergy with national and international security architecture, NIMASA successfully sustained zero piracy incidents in Nigerian waters during the year under review.
“The agency’s Deep Blue Project proved instrumental in this achievement. Port and Flag State control during the period under review was effective and surpassed globally acceptable standards,” Osagie added.
In the area of human capacity development, Osagie mentioned that NIMASA DG, Mobereola, and his management team demonstrated uncommon commitment to maritime education. The issue of sea time for beneficiaries of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme is enjoying deserved attention, as the backlog is being cleared.
“NIMASA’s performance in 2025 also attracted strong commendation from maritime labour unions, particularly the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria. In terms of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, the NIMASA management, under the supervision of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has successfully cracked a major bottleneck hindering the disbursement of the funds, and 2026 is looking very promising,” he said.
He said that internally, the management of NIMASA recorded significant progress in staff welfare and motivation.
“Promotions, structured training programmes and targeted capacity-building initiatives were implemented to enhance career growth, professionalism and institutional efficiency. These measures contributed to improved morale and strengthened the agency’s ability to deliver on its statutory mandate,” he said.
