By Stephen Ubanna
With barely seven months to the International Maritime Organization, IMO, Council elections, in London, United Kingdom, UK, Minister Adegboyega Oyetola, who incidentally was a former governor of Osun state, alongside Dayo Mobereola, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, led inter-ministerial Committee have intensified Campaigns both within and outside the African Continent to ensure that Nigeria wins the election.
The minister and Mobereola led inter-ministerial Committee, which, many believes already have the full backing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may have intensified the Campaigns for the Imo Council Seat to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of 2011 and 2019, during the Administrations of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, which had caused Nigeria the IMO Council Seat.
Minister Oyetola and his Campaign Team to promote Nigeria winning the IMO Council, were said to cashed in on every opportunity both at Maritime Organization the West and Central Africa, MOWCA countries and other international engagements in Europe, North and South American Countries including reaching out to the distant Island Nations of the 176- member Organization to solicit for their support for Nigeria’s bid for the IMO Council.
For not being a member of the Council, despite its maritime influence in the West and Central African subregions, Nigeria had lost out in getting most of the benefits of the UN, maritime agency in the areas of ‘’technical assistance, capacity and institutional development as well as political influence in the maritime sector of the global economy’’.
It was not surprising why Minister Oyetola and the inter-ministerial Committee set up to promote Nigeria’s election into the IMO Council, in the upcoming elections, has intensified the Campaigns to secure the block votes in the African Continent, particular, from the West and Central African sub-regions.
The former Osun state governor and the inter-ministerial Committee members who had accompanied him to the United Nations, UN, Ocean Conference, in Nice , France, may have seen it as another opportunity to initiate one-on-one discussions with some of the IMO member countries representatives to seek their support for Nigeria in the upcoming Council elections in Longdon, UK.
An informed source told The Value News that the minister and his Team, at the UN, Ocean Conference, in Nice, France, made daring moves as they engaged in high -level meetings with participants from other nations, particular, from the Island nations to solicit for their support for Nigeria’s bid for the IMO, Council election between November and December, 2025.
The Nigerian minister of marine, who is desperate to see that Nigeria wins the IMO, Category C, Council, Seat, which it had lost thrice at different elections, was said to have met separately with James Marape, the Prime Minister of Papa Guinea.
The minister was said to have also met with Joyelle Clarke of Saint Kitts and Nevis Island, minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment and the minister of Home Affairs, Climate Change Environment of Tuvalu Island, Maina Vakafua Talia, as well.
The minister had said that the meetings underscored the nation’s commitment to building alliances with countries that though geographically distant, share common vulnerabilities and aspirations within the global maritime community.
He was said to have repeatedly said at the various high- profile meetings that Nigeria’s quest for a Seat in the IMO Council is not’’ driven by ambition alone but by a desire to ensure greater representation for the 54 member countries of the African Continent, developing countries, and vulnerable Coastal Island States in global maritime decision-making’’.
He was said to have assured the Coastal Island nations, Nigeria, if voted into the IMO, Council, this 2025, would be a reliable ally advocating for stronger global commitments to maritime decarbonization, which had been in the agenda of the UN, maritime agency over the agency.
The minister, was said to have further highlighted that Nigeria’s dedication to these principles is underscored by the establishment of the ministry of marine and blue economy by the incumbent President Tinubu’s Administration.
He noted that ‘’the moves reflect Nigeria’s renewed commitment ‘’to sustainable ocean governance, blue economic growth and building resilience against climate change’’. The Nigerian minister overseeing the ministry of marine and blue economy had described how the country is reimagining its relationship with the sea through initiatives ranging from port modernization and enhanced maritime security to ocean sustainability and the development of coastal communities.
The minister who could not his feelings, had told the Coastal Island States participants at the UN, Ocean Conference in Nice, France, that Nigeria is not merely seeking in isolation but is extending an offer of partnership to them.
He had articulated a vision for an IMO Council that actively protects the interests of most vulnerable nations and pledged that Nigeria would use its voice, its vote and its regional influence to advocate for the priorities of developing nations.
He did not stop there. He was said to have further stated that to the admiration of those who have had the opportunity of meeting with him that ‘’Nigeria is prepared to push for a more equitable maritime regulatory framework that acknowledges disparities in national capacities, supports accessible climate-smart shipping technologies, and fosters practical cooperation in the development of blue economies between the coastal island nations and African coastal states like Nigeria.
Bolaji Akinola, the media Aide to the minister had reechoed his mindset when he stated in a Press statement that Nigeria is ready to serve as a credible voice for developing economies within the international maritime system, forging alliances based on shared challenges and mutual interests.
The minister, drawing the attentions of the IMO member nations, as the November and December, 2025, elections approach , he said Nigeria is repositioning itself as the Maritime Organization Category C, Candidate committed to inclusivity , equity, and climate- resilient maritime development in an increasingly interconnected and environmentally vulnerable world.
