[8] With the end of the Civil War in January 1970, General Yakubu Gowon announced an extensive program to revive the economy.

[12] On a less positive note, heroin smuggling by crew members was a significant issue in the 1970s and 1980s, with Nigeria serving as a major transit point for drugs bound for Europe.

[13] A 1987 study of the NNSL for the World Bank compared results to the benefits that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development had estimated would come from entry of Nigeria into shipping.

The findings were that the investment had made no significant contribution to Gross Domestic Product, employment, the balance of payments, exercising countervailing power, national security or the country's image.

The NMA planned to extend this status to more domestic companies so as to reduce control of trade by foreign-owned lines.

[15] The Shipping Policy Decree of 1987, which established the NMA, gave approval for a 50–50 share between foreign and domestic lines for non-conference cargos.

The NNSL and the private companies suffered from financial problems and lacked the facilities needed to attract cargoes.

[19] In July 2010 it was reported that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the successor to the NMA, had completed arrangements to establish a new national shipping line for Nigeria.