Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has called on Nigeria’s coastal states to harness their vast aquatic resources to drive economic growth, insisting that the country’s maritime domain holds enormous potential to transform the national economy.
Speaking on Thursday at the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s 2nd Quarter 2026 Citizens/Stakeholders’ Engagement held on Thursday at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Diri said coastal states must take a leading role in developing Nigeria’s blue economy rather than remain passive beneficiaries.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Sub-National Leadership in Advancing Nigeria’s Maritime and Blue Economy: The Bayelsa Experience and Pathways for Coastal State Development,” the governor noted that although Nigeria boasts more than 850 kilometres of coastline, the waterways are located within the country’s coastal states, making their active participation essential to unlocking the sector’s full potential.
He urged the states to move “from being spectators to stakeholders” and proposed a framework for collaboration to accelerate the growth of the marine and blue economy.
According to Diri, coastal states should establish dedicated ministries or agencies for the blue economy with adequate political backing and financial autonomy, while enacting laws that align with the national blue economy policy but reflect their unique geographical and socio-economic realities.
He also advocated securing and mapping maritime assets, investing in coastal security and reliable ocean data, establishing maritime skills development hubs, modernising fish processing facilities, expanding cold storage infrastructure and linking coastal producers to national and international value chains.
Diri said Bayelsa had already taken significant steps in that direction by becoming the first state in Nigeria to establish a full-fledged Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in 2024, following the creation of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy by President Bola Tinubu in 2023.
“To ignore the blue economy in Bayelsa would be to ignore Bayelsa itself. That is why, following the initiative of the Federal Government, Bayelsa is not merely a state with a bespoke ministry; we are a national model for how to institutionalise and mainstream the blue economy at the sub-national level,” he said.