By Obiabin Onukwugha
An expert in the Blue Economy Sector, Mr. Ubong Essien has tasked the Rivers State government on the need to utilize the opportunities that abound in the blue economy sector, being a coastal state.
This comes as Essien observed that Rivers State is clueless on the opportunities that abound in the blue economy sector, despite being a coastal state.
According to Essien, with the many Rivers and oceans that surround it, which is the reason for the name, Rivers State should be Nigeria’s Blue Economy headquarters, home to ports, pipelines, mangroves, marine tech, fisheries, and floating opportunities.
Essien who is the Dean, School of Eloquence and Founder, Blue Economy Academy, a mission-driven platform to awaken, educate, and engage Nigeria in the untapped promise of our aquatic assets, stated this while delivering a Keynote Address on the ongoing Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State chapter. Speaking on the theme of the program: “Blue Economy – Starting Steps for Rivers State” and the sub-theme: Enhancing the Economic Welfare of Journalists in a Period of Economic Crisis, Essien noted that the state is not coincidentally called “Rivers.”
He said: “Your geography has given you a gift—and a mandate. But what are you doing with it? You can’t live next to the Atlantic and remain indifferent to it. You can’t report from Port Harcourt and act like you’re inland. You can’t be coastal and clueless.
“Rivers State should be Nigeria’s Blue Economy headquarters—home to ports, pipelines, mangroves, marine tech, fisheries, and floating opportunities.”
Essien, who was a former Special Adviser to the Director-General of NIMASA on Strategy and Communications, emphasised the role of media in the state in utilizing the potentials of the blue economy.
“But without the media playing its part, this opportunity will float away. This is why I’m speaking to you today, not just as journalists, but as rescuers of national
awareness.
“In today’s world, Ocean Journalism is not a niche, it’s a necessity. And I make this bold declaration: “Every journalist in Rivers State worth his or her salt, no ocean pun intended, must carry two beats, and one of them must be the ocean.” Why? Because: Pollution is a health story. Maritime insecurity is a national security story. Port congestion is an economic story. Artisanal fishing is a livelihood story.
Coastal erosion is a climate story. The ocean runs through every other beat. And it’s time we reported it.”
He suggested that to tap into the wealth of the ocean, saying, “Rivers State must employ set a clear state-level roadmap with institutional frameworks, including ocean education from basic school and community awareness campaigns about its waters; advocate for federal port reforms, while upgrading local access roads, waterfront facilities, fish landing sites, and support infrastructure that enable marine activities to thrive; include fisherfolk, riverine dwellers, and youths; marine tech, aquaculture, renewable energy, these are jobs of the future; and mobilize public buy-in through strong journalism, storytelling, and advocacy.”
The blue economy expert also regretted that over dependence on crude revenue has blinded Nigeria to the huge potentials of the blue economy. He continued: “Nigeria is a sea-blind nation. We have over 853 kilometers of coastline, vast inland waterways, rich biodiversity, bustling port cities, and a geo-strategic maritime location in West Africa. Yet, we behave like a landlocked country.
“Despite multiple economic shocks – crashing oil prices, declining U.S. crude imports, and rising youth unemployment, we continue to overlook the ocean. The data is damning. By 2020, U.S. crude oil imports from Nigeria dropped to just 5,000
barrels per day, down from nearly 1 million bpd a decade earlier. That should’ve been our wake-up call to diversify. But we hit snooze. The truth is, Nigeria’s obsession with oil has blinded us to an even greater wealth: the Blue Economy.”
On the sub-theme of the program; “Enhancing the Economic Welfare of Journalists in a Period of Economic Crisis”, the lecturer regretted that journalists are nation builders who are often undervalued, underpaid, and overworked. “But the Blue Economy offers new storytelling opportunities, specialised beats, and partnerships for knowledge-based journalism,” he continued.
He however tasked journalists in the state to not just cover the news, but create blue narratives that matter. “Through such professional repositioning, journalists can monetize expertise, provide consultancy, build niche brands, and diversify income in ways aligned with their core competencies,” he added.