The Federal Government has linked the efficiency of Nigeria’s maritime justice system to the country’s trade competitiveness, warning that delays in resolving maritime disputes are increasing import costs, discouraging investment and undermining efforts to unlock the potential of the blue economy.
George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of the 18th International Maritime Seminar for Judges, organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute and the Nigerian Maritime Law Association.
He said maritime justice should not be viewed as a narrow legal issue but as a critical economic imperative with direct implications for governance, trade and national development, calling for stronger collaboration among key institutions to build a more efficient maritime justice system.
‘When a maritime claim is delayed in court, trade suffers. When a ship arrest is poorly executed, investor confidence falls. When cargo liability disputes go unresolved, the cost of importing essential goods rises, and it is ordinary Nigerians who bear that cost,’ the SGF said.
According to him, these are economic realities that fall within the mandate of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which is responsible for coordinating the implementation of Federal Government policies and programmes across ministries, departments and agencies.
Akume noted that the maritime sector involves several institutions whose activities are closely interconnected, including the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and the Federal High Court.
He stressed that these agencies must work in harmony by sharing information, aligning regulatory actions and presenting a coordinated and predictable operating environment to the international shipping community.
‘For these institutions to serve Nigeria effectively, they cannot operate in silos. They must work in harmony, sharing information, aligning their regulatory postures and presenting to the international shipping community a coordinated, predictable and professionally competent face,’ he said.
The SGF also acknowledged concerns that resolutions reached at conferences often fail to translate into concrete action, assuring stakeholders that the Federal Government would support the implementation of recommendations arising from the seminar.
He said the Office of the SGF would facilitate legislative engagement where reforms require amendments to existing laws, support executive processes for the ratification of international maritime conventions and coordinate collaboration among relevant government agencies.
‘The work done in this hall over the next three days should not remain in this hall. It must find expression in policy, legislation, institutional reform and ultimately in the daily experience of every Nigerian who does business through our ports or seeks justice in our courts,’ Akume said.
He described the Blue Economy as a strategic pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that an efficient maritime justice system is essential to unlocking the sector’s economic potential.
According to him, investors will only commit capital to maritime ventures if they are confident that contractual disputes can be resolved fairly, swiftly and transparently.
‘No investor will commit capital to a maritime venture in Nigeria if they cannot trust that contractual disputes will be resolved fairly and swiftly. No shipping line will regard Nigeria as a reliable port of call if they fear that legal processes will be slow, unpredictable or technically uninformed,’ he added.
Also speaking at the event, Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, urged the judiciary to prepare for a new generation of maritime disputes arising from autonomous ships, digital shipping and the global transition to cleaner maritime transport.
Oyetola said the rapid evolution of maritime technology was creating unprecedented legal questions around liability, navigational responsibility, insurance, collision regulations and the allocation of responsibility when autonomous vessels or their systems fail.
He noted that the digitalisation of shipping through electronic bills of lading, blockchain-enabled cargo documentation and digital freight contracts was transforming global commerce while creating ‘fresh evidentiary, contractual, and jurisdictional issues’.
‘The prospect of vessels operating with limited or no human crews raises fundamental questions concerning liability, navigational responsibility, insurance, collision regulations, and the allocation of legal responsibility when technology fails,’ Oyetola said.
He said the growing international focus on maritime decarbonisation and environmental responsibility would also generate increasingly complex disputes over environmental liability, pollution damage, regulatory enforcement and compliance with evolving international standards, urging judges to approach such cases with ‘sound legal reasoning, scientific understanding, and awareness of emerging international jurisprudence’.
Oyetola emphasised that by strengthening the mechanism for prompt and efficient resolution of shipping disputes through litigation and arbitration, Nigeria can successfully position itself as Africa’s premier maritime hub.
‘Every judgment delivered in a maritime matter sends a powerful message, not only to the litigants before the court, but also to international investors, shipowners, financiers, insurers, cargo interests, and seafarers across the world. The marine and blue economy cannot flourish in a legal vacuum,’ Oyetola said
Also speaking, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who declared the seminar open, said the maritime sector serves as a vital channel for the movement of goods and services, facilitates international trade, supports economic growth and contributes significantly to employment and national revenue.
The Chief Justice further emphasised the importance of effective and prompt dispensation of admiralty justice, noting that maritime disputes often involve complex, time-sensitive and cross-border transactions.
She stressed that delays in resolving such disputes could disrupt commercial operations, increase costs, undermine investor confidence and affect the smooth functioning of the maritime industry. She therefore underscored the need for a responsive, efficient and specialised system of admiralty justice capable of resolving maritime disputes in a timely and effective manner.
Justice Kekere-Ekun also highlighted the importance of collaboration across jurisdictions, particularly given the inherently international nature of maritime commerce.
She noted that ships, cargoes, commercial transactions and maritime disputes frequently involve multiple countries and legal systems, making cooperation among courts, judicial officers, regulators, legal practitioners and other stakeholders essential.
She further underscored the importance of the seminar as a platform for judicial and professional engagement, knowledge-sharing and the strengthening of institutional capacity in the field of maritime law.