The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola has assured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the Marine and Blue Economy sector will witness a rapid transformation within the shortest possible time.
Oyetola who disclosed this in a keynote address at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the League of Maritime Editors held in Lagos recently, stated that he had set up machineries and structure for the sector and made all principal actors and agencies to irrevocably key into realising the potentials of the sector with regards to job creation, social development, increased contribution to national growth and economic development.
Represented by the Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Olujumi Oyetomi, the Minister said that he had since taken steps to involve all the agencies under his ministry to key into this mandate.
His words, “I have given my commitment to Mr. President and the nation that the Marine and Blue Economy sector will witness a rapid transformation within the shortest possible time.”
The Minister, however, described the theme for the Silver Jubilee anniversary which is “Harnessing Nigeria’s Potential In Marine and Blue Economy/The New Customs Act 2023 and Its Implication On Trade” as apt as according to him, “it will afford the Ministry the opportunity to examine the contributions of the Marine and Blue Economy sector to create commercial development and growth of the nation’s economy.”
“This is also the basis of the Ministerial deliverables given by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, to me and my ministry. We have since taken steps to involve all the agencies under my ministry to key into this mandate,” he added.
He maintained that the ministry had been enjoying a symbiotic relationship with the maritime editors and maritime reporters whose agenda setting for the maritime sector for which his ministry was the leading policy making body had been most challenging.
“I wish to add that most of the suggestions of the maritime editors and reporters are received in good faith by me and my management. And even though I am the pioneer Minister specifically for this sector, I have set up machinery and structure for the sector and made all principal actors and agencies irrevocably key into realising the potentials of the sector with regards to job creation, social development, increased contribution to national growth and economic development.
“In your suggestions and recommendations, we at the policy making level, sometimes see them as critical, however, we do not fail to distill them and apply them in the best way possible thus leading to the plausible progress in policy application in the maritime sector.
“It is therefore, no surprise today that we are collectively witnessing the progress which we are seeing today in the sector even though we are just starting now. It is on the earlier mentioned basis that I challenge your League to be patriotic, realistic when setting agenda not just for those of us at the policy making level but also for the agencies noting the ever pressing challenges in the sector which has not taken the front stage of attention in the past but which we are all trying to bring up to be at par with the development in many of the maritime and blue economy nations of the world.
“I submit that the partnership between the League and my Ministry is such that we will cherish and we will try to nurture to an all time high as much as time, as much as resources and other policy determinants will allow us. I therefore, salute the League of Maritime Editors on this occasion of your 25th year of existence and being marked with your retreat and awards holding today and I wish you the very best in your endeavors,” he declared.
