On Tuesday in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, CON, formally launched the Nigerian Shippers’ Council’s Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS). Akume used the platform to reaffirm the Federal Government’s sustained commitment to integrated digital governance across the public sector.
During the launch, the SGF described the ECMS as more than an institutional achievement. He noted that the initiative reflects the administration’s broader ambition to modernize public administration, enhance efficiency, and foster transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the country.
The SGF further clarified that the ECMS is an internal digital tool, not an outward-facing service portal. It is sophisticatedly designed to eliminate endemic delays, documentation gaps, and opacity inherent in manual, paper-based administrative systems.
By strengthening internal coordination, improving documentation integrity, and increasing operational transparency, the platform promises to significantly enhance the Nigerian Shippers’ Council’s regulatory effectiveness and service quality for maritime stakeholders.
Akume highlighted the system’s robust architecture: a 30-tier structure complete with secure approvals, automated workflows, and a centralised document repository. These features align the Council with global best practices for public sector digitisation, boosting accountability, minimizing discretionary bottlenecks, and enabling timely institutional responses to sector challenges.
He specifically commended the Council’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Akutah Pius Ukeyima, MON, for demonstrating proactive leadership among MDAs in advancing the presidential directive on full digital records management.
Akume highlighted the ECMS’s crucial role in advancing the national ease-of-doing-business agenda, asserting its alignment with the current administration’s overarching strategy to modernise public sector governance.
He challenged other government institutions to view the Shippers’ Council’s successful implementation as a blueprint.
The SGF stressed the necessity of replicating such systems across the board to urgently strengthen Nigeria’s administrative capacity nationwide.
The Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, hailed the new Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) as a major step toward eliminating paper-based processes in the public sector. He stressed that the system is expected to revolutionize workflow, records management, and regulatory efficiency within the Council.
The Hon. Minister highlighted that the ECMS perfectly aligns with the Federal Government’s strategy to reposition Nigeria as a globally competitive maritime nation through digital innovation. Describing the platform as a critical component of institutional transformation, he noted its automated workflows, secure approvals, real-time tracking, and centralised data management will drastically reduce turnaround time and boost transparency.
The Minister linked this digital initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader sector reforms, including the successful clearance of the Apapa gridlock, ongoing port modernization projects, and the establishment of Inland Dry Ports nationwide. He also celebrated Nigeria’s recent election into Category C of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council, calling it a testament to the nation’s growing maritime influence and commitment to global standards.
However, he strongly commended the Shippers’ Council for leading the charge in implementing the presidential directive mandating all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to fully digitize records management before the 31 December 2025 deadline.
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Akutah Pius Ukeyima, Esq, MON, FCILT, Ph.D, hailed the ECMS launch as a “transformative moment” for the organization.
Ukeyima clarified that the internal tool will deliver external value through faster services and improved accountability.
Akutah further stressed that the system’s automated workflows are specifically designed to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, secure information, and provide real-time performance dashboards crucial for effective decision-making.
Expressing gratitude to key government figures for their support, he assured stakeholders of staff readiness for a paperless environment.
He urged all employees to commit to the required discipline, viewing the digital platform as “their new office” to guarantee sustained transformation.
The high-profile unveiling drew top government officials, heads of agencies, industry stakeholders, and representatives from the diplomatic and business communities.
