The Network of Nigeria Maritime Journalists (NNMJ) has secured the participation of more prominent personalities from Nigeria’s maritime industry at its forthcoming Unity Conference, with former Director of Public Relations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Hajia Lami Tumarka; retired Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, ACG Charles Edike; and President of Women in Maritime Africa (WIMA), Mrs Theodora Nwanze, among the latest high-profile personalities confirmed for the event.
The conference, scheduled for Friday, November 13, 2026, at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, is expected to attract key policymakers, heads of maritime agencies, industry leaders, legal practitioners, freight forwarders and other critical stakeholders for strategic discussions on the future of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
Former Director-General of NIMASA, Barrister Temisan Omatseye, will chair the conference, while the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola, will attend as Special Guest of Honour.
A renowned maritime lawyer, Barrister Emeka Akabogu, SAN, is expected to deliver the keynote address.
With the theme, “Seaport Modernisation, Trade Facilitation and Revenue,” the conference will provide a strategic platform for examining the performance, policy direction and operational efficiency of Nigeria’s maritime sector under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Deliberations will focus on ongoing government reforms, infrastructure development and strategic interventions needed to strengthen the maritime industry’s contribution to national economic growth.
Scheduled to commence at 11:00 a.m., the conference will bring together government representatives, maritime professionals and private-sector operators to explore practical solutions for repositioning Nigeria’s maritime industry for greater efficiency, productivity and global competitiveness.
Key areas of discussion will include seaport modernisation, rehabilitation and renewal of critical port infrastructure, trade facilitation, ease of doing business, revenue optimisation and strategies for identifying and eliminating financial leakages across the maritime value chain.
Participants will also examine opportunities for expanding Nigeria’s marine and blue economy, creating employment, strengthening maritime safety and security, and enhancing the global competitiveness of the nation’s seaports.
The conference is expected to attract heads of government agencies, managing directors of shipping companies, terminal operators, freight forwarders, licensed customs agents and other influential players across the maritime industry.
In a joint statement, NNMJ Chairman, Elder Dele Aderibigbe, and the organisation’s Public Relations Officer, Jerry Aguigbo, said the Unity Conference was conceived to promote informed dialogue, deepen stakeholder collaboration and generate practical recommendations for addressing the challenges confronting Nigeria’s maritime industry.
They noted that the conference would provide stakeholders with an opportunity to critically assess existing government policies and reforms, identify implementation gaps and propose sustainable solutions to improve port operations, facilitate legitimate trade, boost government revenue and unlock the vast economic potential of the maritime sector.
The NNMJ leadership further emphasised the strategic role of maritime journalism in promoting transparency and accountability, providing credible industry analysis and sustaining informed public discourse on government policies, regulatory interventions and reforms affecting the marine and blue economy.
They expressed confidence that the conference would strengthen relationships among industry stakeholders, encourage meaningful policy engagement and reinforce collective efforts towards building a more efficient, transparent and globally competitive maritime industry.