Maritime Journalism and Industry CEOs Official Snub

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

For years, Nigeria’s maritime industry has spoken about reform, efficiency and global competitiveness. Yet one uncomfortable truth continues to undermine these aspirations: the widening disconnect between maritime regulators and the maritime media.

Across ministries, departments and agencies, a troubling pattern has taken root, where CEOs routinely ignore invitations to media workshops, capacity building programmes and sectoral dialogues designed to deepen understanding and strengthen collaboration. What used to be a relationship of mutual respect and shared purpose has gradually eroded into a culture of official snubs.

This growing indifference is not only unhelpful; it is counterproductive. No industry can thrive when its key institutions treat knowledge building engagements as optional or unimportant. And no reform can gain public trust when the media, the bridge between policy and the people is left uninformed or sidelined.

The one sided invite of maritime media by industry organizations on the assumption that the organizations alone knows it all is unacceptable, delusional and preposterous.

It is against this backdrop that the forthcoming Maritime Media Capacity Building Summit and the unveiling of the Maritime Media & Capacity Development Centre on December 17, 2025, arrive as a timely intervention and a wakeup call. Strategic partnership must form the core of productive communication, and this we must bridge. A sector growing in complexity but shrinking in engagement should not be encouraged.

Like the organizers of the forthcoming Maritime Media Capacity Building Summit rightly noted, Nigeria’s blue economy is expanding rapidly. Digital trade systems, automated customs processes, port modernization, private sector investments and new regulatory frameworks have made the maritime space more technical and data driven than ever before.

Yet, while the industry evolves, the engagement culture of many CEOs has regressed. Workshops meant to improve media literacy on trade facilitation, port operations, regulatory reforms and logistics efficiency often proceed without the presence or even acknowledgment of the very leaders whose policies are being discussed. This to say the least is appalling.

This absence weakens the information ecosystem, fuels misinterpretation, and widens the gap between regulators and reporters. Hopefully, we expect that this New Capacity Centre would be a turning point.

Thus, the launch of the Maritime Media & Capacity Development Centre should be seen as more than just an event, but a strategic restructuring in symbiotic relationship.  With respected figures such as the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, and other sector leaders on its Advisory Board, the centre signals seriousness, structure and long overdue institutional commitment to media development.

The mandate is clear and structured to build a research driven, data savvy, and globally conversant maritime press, strengthens the quality of industry reportage, and creates a permanent bridge between journalists and regulators. But this mandate cannot succeed if CEOs continue to treat media engagement as an afterthought.

The 10th Anniversary Maritime Journalists Seminar is therefore a test of commitment. The centre’s unveiling coincides with the 10th Anniversary Annual Seminar for Maritime Journalists — a decade long platform that has shaped national conversations on port efficiency, shipping economics, logistics, and regulatory reforms.

This year’s edition is particularly crucial, with sessions on The National Single Window and its implications for trade competitiveness; Data analysis for maritime reporting, led by the NCS National PRO, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada PhD; and Regulatory efficiency and investment protection, to be delivered by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr. Akutah Ukeyima.

These are not ceremonial topics. They are foundational to Nigeria’s economic future. And they demand the presence, attention and participation of agency CEOs.

There was a time when maritime CEOs and the media worked as partners and not as distant stakeholders and or adversaries. A time when regulators understood that an informed press strengthens institutions, improves public trust and enhances policy outcomes. That understanding and camaraderie must return. The upcoming summit offers CEOs an opportunity to demonstrate leadership, rebuild trust, engage constructively, support the professional growth of the journalists who report their work, and to provide the signal that transparency and collaboration still matter.

A simple presence at such events sends a powerful message: we value knowledge, we value accountability, and we value the media as partners in national development. If Nigeria must unlock the full potential of its maritime domain, it needs trained professionals not only in terminals and regulatory offices, but also in newsrooms.

The role of the maritime journalist of today is multilayered; he is an analyst, a researcher, a data interpreter, and a gatekeeper of public understanding. But journalists cannot evolve in isolation. They need access, engagement and institutional support.

The dual events of tomorrow, the seminar’s 10th anniversary and the unveiling of the capacity centre therefore mark the beginning of a new era. Whether this era becomes transformative depends largely on whether CEOs choose to show up, participate and rebuild the bridges they have inadvertently allowed to weaken.

A stronger maritime industry requires a stronger maritime media. And a stronger maritime media requires leaders who understand that engagement is not a favour but  a responsibility.