The Director, Academic Planning, Ben Idahasa University, Dr.  Osondu Akoma, has called the Federal  Government to rise up to the challenges in reviving the moribund Eastern ports.

Dr. Akoma, made the call when members of the Association of Indigenous Importers and Exporters in the Niger Delta led by its President, Mr. Somiari Prince Halliday visited  him in his  office recently, as part of their fact finding mission on the poor  utilization  of the various ports in the Eastern zone of the country.

According to him, the Ports of Warri, Koko, Calabar and Port Harcourt which are almost dead are natural ports and not inland ports as was the speculation of some persons in authority, adding that Koko Ports which  has been abandoned lies  at the lower reaches  of Benin river  that is one of the rivers in the  country that has torrential current with internationally acceptable draught channels.

He however dismissed  reports that these Ports lacked  dredging as reasons being given for their abandonment, saying that the dredging of Ports should not Supercede   operations at the Ports.

“Dredging  is a routine operation that is not limit the capacity of Ports to function”, he further said.

The University Don reiterated that  such exercise is a diversionary statements put up by those who are bent on ensuring  that these ports do not  function, stressing that owners of ocean  liners have no problem coming to these ports, but that of administration.

Dr. Akoma, a renowned Umnologist and Algologist , said Nigeria is blessed with natural Ports that should not be tied to dredging before they could function and called on the federal Government to urgently look into reviving these ports for economic  and other reasons.

He also called on government to review the operation of Maersk line and Pacific  Int’l line  to service the Eastern Ports, while granting deep sea operation licence to Brawal shipping to ensure effective competition  as well as promote indigenous operations, in the spirit of local content policy in the industry.

In his speech, the Presdient of the association, Mr. Halliday had intimated the University lecturer  of their mission  and to proper solution, stressing  that all hands must be on deck to ensure  that Eastern  ports are revived to compete with their counterparts  in the West, adding that for Federal government to allow Warri and Koko Ports to be abandoned is a great concern to the association.

Collins Barasimeye