Mr. Ubong Essien
… Urges Journalists to Lead Blue Economy Advocacy
By Maureen Dick and Eric Moore
NIGERIA is a “sea-blind nation” and Rivers State risks squandering its coastal advantage if it fails to develop a coherent Blue Economy strategy, maritime expert and Founder, Blue Economy Academy, Mr. Ubong Essien, has warned.
Delivering a keynote address virtually at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Correspondents’ Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, Essien issued a scathing critique of the state’s failure to harness its maritime potential, calling for urgent action and journalist-led advocacy to reverse decades of neglect.
“You can’t live next to the Atlantic and remain indifferent to it. You can’t report from Port Harcourt and act like you’re inland. You can’t be coastal and clueless,” Essien said in his address themed “Blue Economy – Starting Steps for Rivers State.”
He described Nigeria’s failure to develop its ocean assets as “ocean amnesia,” despite the country’s 853 kilometres coastline, rich biodiversity, and geo-strategic maritime position in West Africa.
“Nigeria is a sea-blind nation. Our obsession with oil has blinded us to an even greater wealth: the Blue Economy.”
Citing a sharp drop in U.S. oil imports from Nigeria — from nearly one million barrels per day to just 5,000 barrels per day in 2020, Essien said the economic warning signs were clear, but ignored.
“That should’ve been our wake-up call to diversify. But we hit snooze,” he said.
Turning attention to Rivers State, Essien said the state must shed its passivity and assume leadership in ocean-based development, stressing that geography has given it both an opportunity and a responsibility.
“Rivers State should be Nigeria’s Blue Economy headquarters – home to ports, pipelines, mangroves, fisheries, and floating opportunities. But without the media playing its part, this opportunity will float away,” he said.
As part of a proposed action plan for Rivers State, he outlined a five-point blueprint including to launch a state-wide ocean literacy campaign and Blue Economy policy; facilitate blue-friendly infrastructure; empower coastal communities, especially youth and fisherfolk; invest in youth upskilling and marine-based entrepreneurship; mobilize media-led public enlightenment.
He charged journalists in the state to reposition themselves not only as reporters but as “rescuers of national awareness.”
“Every journalist in Rivers State worth his or her salt — no ocean pun intended — must carry two beats, and one of them must be the ocean,” Essien said.
He explained that the Blue Economy intersects with every journalistic beat: pollution is a health story, port congestion is economic, maritime insecurity is national security, and coastal erosion is a climate crisis.
“Ocean journalism is not a niche. It’s a necessity,” he said, calling for a rethinking of how riverine areas are viewed and covered.
“The phrase ‘riverine areas’ has become a synonym for poverty and neglect, instead of opportunity and investment. We must reprogram our perception.”
Essien challenged journalists in the state to become champions of what he called “Ocean Journalism,” insisting that the media must do more than just report. It must rescue public awareness about maritime potential.
“Every journalist in Rivers State worth his or her salt—no ocean pun intended—must carry two beats, and one of them must be the ocean. Pollution is a health story. Port congestion is an economic story. Artisanal fishing is a livelihood story. Coastal erosion is a climate story. The ocean runs through every other beat.”
The former Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications to the Director General of NIMASA laid out a five-point blueprint for Rivers State to embrace the blue economy.
These include a state-wide ocean literacy policy, coastal infrastructure upgrades, empowering riverine communities, youth upskilling, and media-led public enlightenment.
He emphasized the critical role of journalists in shaping the future, stating: “You are not bystanders. You are the bridge between strategy and society. You are the Fourth C in the 4 Cs of maritime progress—Collaboration, Cooperation, Coordination, and Communication.”
Linking the blue economy to journalist welfare, Essien argued that this emerging sector presents fresh storytelling opportunities and income streams.
“There is a role for maritime journalists, port correspondents, blue economy writers, ocean climate reporters, and sustainability media professionals,” he said.
“Journalists can monetize expertise, provide consultancy, build niche brands, and diversify income.”
He warned that the biggest threat to progress is not a lack of resources but a lack of vision.
“The single most important thing Rivers State can do is launch an all-out war against its greatest internal enemy: ocean blindness,” Essien said.
“It’s the inability to see the economic potential, environmental leverage, innovation frontier, and human capital opportunity that the ocean represents.”
He also called for a shift in perception of riverine communities, often treated as marginal. “Riverine should not be a disadvantage. It should be a strategic designation—a signal to invest, empower, develop, and prioritize.”
As a next step, Essien proposed the launch of a Blue Economy Media Forum in partnership with the Correspondents’ Chapel before the end of 2025, aimed at strengthening journalist involvement in ocean awareness and policy advocacy.
“This is not just a keynote. It is a kickoff. Let this moment be the end of sea-blindness and the beginning of sea-boldness. The ocean is no longer scenery; it is strategy.”