The President of Garden City Premier Business School and Special Guest of Honour in the 2025 Correspondents’ Chapel Week,Prof Silva Opuala-Charles said strategy without structure is useless.
He was apparently referring to the unpreparedness of Nigeria to harness the potential of the blue economy.
According to him,Rivers State with about 112 Km coastline deserves better attention.
He was categorical that harnessing the blue economy would only be sustained if proper fiscal federalism is put in place.
The Special Guest of Honour said if the economy grows it must translate to high per capita income of the citizens.
Prof Opuala-Charles lamented that the entire seas in the Niger Delta have been polluted to the extent that there are no more fishes in them due to oil exploration and exploitation. He described pollution as poison to the growth of blue economy.
He said the United Nations (UN) has clearly stated that Nigeria needs about $12bn to clean up the Niger Delta region,which he said had witnessed 13m barrel of oil spills since 1958.
He added that the blue economy in Nigeria is worth over $24 trillion and about $115trillion globally.
He pointed out that the blue economy comprises maritime, fisheries, aqua-culture and tourism,among others.
Prof Opuala-Charles said there is need to revive the old city states, such as Bonny, Nembe,Buguma,among others before talking about realisation of the blue economy.
He lauded the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for the choice of its theme,’Blue Economy: Starting Steps for Rivers State’, noting that it is possible to achieve the endowment of the blue economy with commitment and seriousness.
The Special Guest of Honour consequently declared the week opened.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion,Dr Chamberlain Peterside who was represented by Atonye Wilcox said there is more business in blue economy than the oil and gas industry, noting that it is a matter of harnessing it.
He suggested that the old Port Harcourt township could be developed and linked to the seas,which he said constitute the blue economy.
According to him,if these areas are developed and brought back,the economy will naturally boom.
He cautioned that environmental issues must be tackled before thinking of investment.
Dr Peterside stressed that economy cannot be addressed in isolation, without the environment.
“All of these cannot be tackled without journalism, which is information dissemination.
NUJ has therefore done noble by beaming satellite on blue economy,”he said.
In his keynote address,Mr Ubong Essien,Dean School of Eloquence and Founder Blue Economy Academy who described Nigeria as a “sea blind nation”, regretted that despite the fact that it has over 853km of coastline,vast inland waterways,rich biodiversity, bustling port cities,yet the country behaves like landlocked nation.
The Dean said it is more worrisome that despite multiple economic shocks, occasioned by crashing oil prices, declining crude imports and rising youth unemployment, Nigeria continues to overlook the ocean.
He cited sharp drop of US crude oil import from Nigeria from one million barrels per day to five thousand,which he said would have acted as a wake up call for Nigeria to diversify her economy,but that was not to be
“The truth is Nigeria’s obsession with oil has blinded us to an even greater wealth,the blue economy,” Essien said.
He queried the reason why Rivers State has not used its advantage position as a coastal state to develop her blue economy.
“Rivers State should be Nigeria’s blue economy headquarters–home to ports, pipelines, mangroves,marine tech, fisheries and floating opportunities,”he stressed.
The Dean emphasized that without journalists,who he described as Rescuers of national awareness,much cannot be achieved in harnessing the blue economy..
Moving the vote of thanks,the Chairman Organising Committee of the 2025 Correspondents’Chapel Week,Mr Ignatius Chukwu thanked the guests for honouring their invitation and the committee members for a job well done.
He urged journalists to turn their talents into products and sell them.
Mr Chukwu also tasked the NUJ to take advantage of its position to harness her potentials.
He equally thanked the Correspondents’ Chapel leadership for the confidence reposed in him and other committee members.
The programme also featured a question and answer session
Barth Ndubuwah
