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The Provisional Committee of the Proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) has welcomed the lifting of the United States Coast Guard’s Condition of Entry on vessels arriving from Nigeria, but cautions that the development should trigger national reflection, not celebration.
In a statement signed by its Director of Communication & Public Affairs, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo on behalf of the Chief Executive & Accounting Officer, Capt. Noah Ichaba, PC-NCG described the 12-year restriction as “an avoidable, self-inflicted institutional burden” that exposed critical gaps in Nigeria’s maritime security architecture.
“The lifting of the restriction is not an achievement Nigeria should celebrate. It is the correction of a maritime-security failure Nigeria must examine,” Capt. Ichaba stated.
“The real question is not why the restriction was finally lifted. The question is why Nigeria carried it for twelve years.”
It will be recalled that Nigeria was notified on 26 March 2013 of identified maritime-security deficiencies and given recommendations. Following the USCG’s assessment that the deficiencies remained unaddressed, the Condition of Entry was imposed in 2014.
For 12 years, Nigerian-bound vessels faced additional security requirements, scrutiny, documentation, and delays before proceeding to the United States. NIMASA acknowledged that the measures were linked to ISPS Code compliance and had economic consequences.
PC-NCG notes that during this period, Nigeria devoted significant resources, time, and diplomatic attention to managing the consequences of a problem that should have been addressed earlier.
While commending the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, NIMASA, port authorities, terminal operators, and other stakeholders for the corrective work, PC-NCG is calling for a full cost-of-delay assessment.
“How much public money was spent? How many delegations travelled? How much commercial time was lost? Nigerians deserve to know what those twelve years cost,” the statement said.
PC-NCG has urged the Federal Government and National Assembly to undertake a comprehensive National Maritime Security Audit to answer five critical questions: What did the 12-year Condition of Entry cost Nigeria? Why did it take 12 years to resolve? Which maritime functions remain fragmented or unclear? What capacity is required to prevent recurrence? and Where does the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard fit within the architecture?
The Institutional Lesson: Specialisation, Not Duplication PC-NCG emphasized that the USCG assessment focused not on whether Nigeria has a Navy, but on whether Nigeria’s civil maritime-security system was effective.
“A country can have a powerful Navy and still require specialised institutions for maritime law enforcement, port security, search and rescue, and coastal policing. Having maritime institutions is not the same as having an integrated maritime-security architecture,” Capt. Ichaba said.
PC-NCG reiterated that the proposed Nigerian Coast Guard is not intended to replace the Nigerian Navy, NIMASA, NPA, or NIWA.
“The Navy must not be the loser. But the Navy must not be the obstacle. A strong Coast Guard does not mean a weak Navy. A strong Navy does not mean Nigeria cannot have a Coast Guard. Specialisation is not duplication. Clarity is not competition.”
PC-NCG warned against allowing celebration to silence accountability. “Do not wait twelve years again. Do not wait for another foreign regulator to identify a weakness. Build capacity before the crisis. The Coast Guard is not a cost to be feared. It is an investment in preventing the next national maritime security failure. No Blue Economy without Blue Security and Blue Justice.”
The Provisional Committee of the Proposed Nigerian Coast Guard (PC-NCG) is a policy and advocacy body working for the establishment of a dedicated civil maritime security and maritime law enforcement institution for Nigeria. PC-NCG promotes institutional clarity, specialisation, and preventive governance in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
