Who is Afraid of Another International Seaport in the South-South or South East? February 25, 2021

I am not Ndigbo; I am a Nigerian of Esan extraction. I am a patriot and a law-abiding stakeholder, endowed with the same rights and responsibilities as any other Nigerian in the affairs and progress of our beloved nation. I am neither a trained writer nor a professional journalist; rather, I am a public policy commentator who writes policy statements, often on issues that are not in the news and, admittedly, not always understood by many.

One such example was my December 7, 2020, commentary on the Apapa Wharf gridlock in Lagos, where I explored why certain forces in Nigeria appear opposed to opening up the Southeast seacoast to global trade. Today, courtesy of my friend Mr. Alfonsus Nannan, I have encountered another Nigerian addressing this issue. Economically, the argument makes perfect sense, and I share it, not as a Biafran sympathizer or IPOB supporter, but as a Nigerian who believes it is time we discarded ethnic and religious biases in the approval and allocation of projects anywhere in the country. We are either one nation or we are not.

Below are excerpts from my December 7, 2020 article, Nigeria: Overcoming the Uncomfortable Truth in the Search for Economic Development (The Ultimate Solution):

“Our economy has long outgrown the capacity of the Apapa Wharf and the Tin Can Island Port. Why have we never considered it economically prudent to build equivalent-capacity ports in Ughelli, Warri, Yenagoa, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, Calabar, or the Bakassi Peninsula to decongest the Iganmu–Apapa–Mile 2 corridor? Beyond the obvious job creation and expanded revenue base, such new ports would significantly ease the traffic gridlock at Apapa. 

“It is also faster and more economical to move goods from Akwa Ibom or the Bakassi Peninsula to Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Taraba, and Benue than from Apapa. The economic benefits of such a link to the Northeast and to Nigeria’s GDP are immeasurable. So why are we slow to open up Nigeria’s South-South coastline to global commerce?

“The obstacle is not a lack of vision or financial capacity to operate additional international seaports, but the question of whether the North can supply enough senior Customs and Immigration officers to manage such high-volume trade routes.

“If three or more high-capacity seaports were established along the South-South coast, there would be an inevitable demand for qualified Customs and Immigration personnel. Without the manpower,  we would lose control of one of Nigeria’s most lucrative revenue streams. For over 50 years, Lagos has remained the epicenter of of our shipping industry and we cannot continue to keep it that way.”