Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has urged the Nigerian media to play a more active role in monitoring the country's ports. On October 2, 2026, Peterside delivered a keynote address at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Week in Lagos, emphasizing the importance of investigative journalism in promoting accountability and efficiency in the maritime sector. The theme of the event was "Politics, Ports and Public Interest: The Media's Catalytic Role in Driving Economic Growth in Nigeria."
Peterside stressed that the performance of the maritime sector has a direct impact on businesses, consumers, and the wider economy. He noted that ports should not be viewed solely as points for cargo handling and revenue collection, but as strategic economic infrastructure that can support industrialization, exports, investment, and job creation. According to Peterside, the media has a crucial role to play in ensuring that Nigeria's ports operate efficiently.
The former NIMASA boss identified several key indicators that should receive sustained media attention, including cargo dwell time, vessel turnaround time, cargo-clearance periods, inspection delays, documented charges, export processing, and concession performance. He also called for the publication of quarterly port-performance scorecards to provide the public with regular assessments of the efficiency of port operations. This, he believes, will help to promote transparency and accountability.
Peterside urged journalists to move beyond reporting official statements and announcements by monitoring the actual outcomes of government policies and interventions. He also called on them to track government contracts, concessions, public expenditure, and official commitments from announcement to completion. This, he said, would strengthen public accountability and help to ensure that the ports are operating efficiently.
However, Peterside cautioned journalists against attributing every disruption or delay at the ports to government failure. He noted that the global maritime industry is also affected by external factors such as geopolitical conflicts, adverse weather conditions, port congestion, and disruptions to international trade routes. Therefore, he urged the media to distinguish between domestic policy and institutional failures and external factors affecting international shipping.
Peterside also emphasized the need to improve the technical capacity of journalists reporting the maritime industry, particularly in data journalism, maritime regulation, public procurement, and international trade. He believes that journalists with a deeper understanding of the sector would be better positioned to interrogate government policies and provide the public with meaningful information about port performance.
According to Peterside, the reported 24.8 percent increase in cargo throughput between 2024 and 2025 is a positive development, but it should not be interpreted as evidence of broad-based economic prosperity on its own. He called for sustained investigative reporting that would connect developments at the ports with their impact on businesses, consumers, and the Nigerian economy.
Key points
- Dr. Dakuku Peterside calls for stronger media scrutiny of Nigeria's ports to promote accountability and efficiency.
- The media should monitor key indicators such as cargo dwell time and vessel turnaround time to assess port performance.
- Journalists need to improve their technical capacity in data journalism and maritime regulation to effectively report on the sector.
