Editorial
Consolidating The Gains Of The Tide
Forty years tomorrow, the first edition of The Nigerian Tide, today’s The Tide, flag ship of the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation was formally launched by the First Military Governor of Old Rivers State, Lt Commander A.P Diete-Spiff in Lagos.
Copies of the first edition actually got to the News Stands on December 4, 1971. Subsequently, The Tide became a bi-weekly on May 24, 1974 and later, a daily with the inclusion of the Sunday Tide. Under The Tide stable were magazines like the Business Tide that later, became African The Tide.
The founding fathers of Rivers State were very clear on the need for a newspaper. Being a people from a minority area, the founding fathers wanted a voice for the state. They also wanted, to mobilize the people for economic advancement.
In order for The Tide to seek and protect the interest of the people and government of Rivers State, the corporation was supported with a well equipped commercial printing press that ensured that the corporation was not hindered by finance.
In 40 years, The Tide has gone through good and bad times, but its mandate has never been compromised. Being one of the first state owned newspapers in Nigeria, The Tide has stayed alive even when nearly all the other state owned newspapers went under.
It is therefore only expedient that the management and staff of the corporation would take this time to celebrate the sustenance of the newspaper and thank God for His grace through the years. The Corporation must also take this time to re-position the newspaper houses for the future.
As a way of consolidating on the gains of the newspaper, The Tide has rolled out a four-day plan to celebrate its 40th Anniversary. During the period, there would be exhibitions, landmark lectures and gala nite. The first Military Governor, now the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass, HRM Alfred P. Diete-Spiff is expected to speak.
No doubt, The Tide will hope to see her friends at this occasion. Although, quite a number of persons and organisations are partnering with The Tide in this anniversary, the paper would want to draw courage and inspiration from the solidarity of a grateful State.
There are truly a lot of reasons why the government and people of Rivers State should celebrate The Tide. It is a thing of honour that till date, The Tide is the most trusted and authoritative voice of the Rivers project. It is also listed as one of the major African newspapers on the internet. It is perhaps the first Nigerian newspaper to attain archival capability on the internet.
The Tide has in addition to keeping faith with its mandate, facilitated the training of high level manpower in the media industry. It is the first state newspaper to go daily on colour. The Tide has continued to excel in the impossible through the publication of a daily newspaper without Rotary machine.
Perhaps one area that The Tide cannot be appreciated enough is that of serving as the link between the government and the governed on the one hand and the people and the rest of the world. The Tide has in no small way contributed to good governance by advising and holding the government accountable.
It is also gratifying that quite a number of institutions and individuals patronise The Tide as the paper of first choice. The volunteering of information through press interviews and placement of advertisements actually kept the doors of the newspaper open.
At 40, The Tide is no longer a kid; its network, experience and even service have increased a thousand fold. Its plan for the future is even more challenging. This is one of the issues the anniversary will help to shape and colour in the interest of even the last Rivers man.
As solidarity messages and partnership offers pour in towards the anniversary, The Tide can only return praise to God and extend its loyalty and un-alloyed gratitude to the government and people Rivers State for actually keeping the publications afloat.
This is another opportunity for the media to celebrate itself. It is time all the staff of the corporation past and present and all the people who have ridden on the pages of The Tide to glory to come together and say thanks to God and to say yes to even a brighter future.
When Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, received the Board and Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), led by its Chairman, Senator Adeyeye Adedayo Clement, his message was unmistakable: Rivers’ seaports remain underutilised, and Nigeria is poorer for it. The governor’s lament was a sad reminder of how neglect and centralisation continue to choke the nation’s economic arteries.
The governor, in his remarks at Government House, Port Harcourt, expressed concern that the twin seaports — the NPA in Port Harcourt and the Onne Seaport — have not been operating at their full potential. He underscored that seaports are vital engines of national development, pointing out that no prosperous nation thrives without efficient ports and airports. His position aligns with global realities that maritime trade remains the backbone of industrial expansion and international commerce.
Indeed, the case of Rivers State is peculiar. It hosts two major ports strategically located along the Bonny River axis, yet cargo throughput has remained dismally low compared to Lagos. According to NPA’s 2023 statistics, Lagos ports (Apapa and Tin Can Island) handled over 75 per cent of Nigeria’s container traffic, while Onne managed less than 10 per cent. Such a lopsided distribution is neither efficient nor sustainable.
Governor Fubara rightly observed that the full capacity operation of Onne Port would be transformative. The area’s vast land mass and industrial potential make it ideal for ancillary businesses — warehousing, logistics, ship repair, and manufacturing. A revitalised Onne would attract investors, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth, not only in Rivers State but across the Niger Delta.
The multiplier effect cannot be overstated. The port’s expansion would boost clearing and forwarding services, strengthen local transport networks, and revitalise the moribund manufacturing sector. It would also expand opportunities for youth employment — a pressing concern in a state where unemployment reportedly hovers around 32 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Yet, the challenge lies not in capacity but in policy. For years, Nigeria’s maritime economy has been suffocated by excessive centralisation. Successive governments have prioritised Lagos at the expense of other viable ports, creating a traffic nightmare and logistical bottlenecks that cost importers and exporters billions annually. The governor’s call, therefore, is a plea for fairness and pragmatism.
Making Lagos the exclusive maritime gateway is counter productive. Congestion at Tin Can Island and Apapa has become legendary — ships often wait weeks to berth, while truck queues stretch for kilometres. The result is avoidable demurrage, product delays, and business frustration. A more decentralised port system would spread economic opportunities and reduce the burden on Lagos’ overstretched infrastructure.
Importers continue to face severe difficulties clearing goods in Lagos, with bureaucratic delays and poor road networks compounding their woes. The World Bank’s Doing Business Report estimates that Nigerian ports experience average clearance times of 20 days — compared to just 5 days in neighbouring Ghana. Such inefficiency undermines competitiveness and discourages foreign investment.
Worse still, goods transported from Lagos to other regions are often lost to accidents or criminal attacks along the nation’s perilous highways. Reports from the Federal Road Safety Corps indicate that over 5,000 road crashes involving heavy-duty trucks occurred in 2023, many en route from Lagos. By contrast, activating seaports in Rivers, Warri, and Calabar would shorten cargo routes and save lives.
The economic rationale is clear: making all seaports operational will create jobs, enhance trade efficiency, and boost national revenue. It will also help diversify economic activity away from the overburdened South West, spreading prosperity more evenly across the federation.
Decentralisation is both an economic strategy and an act of national renewal. When Onne, Warri, and Calabar ports operate optimally, hinterland states benefit through increased trade and infrastructure development. The federal purse, too, gains through taxes, duties, and improved productivity.
Tin Can Island, already bursting at the seams, exemplifies the perils of over-centralisation. Ships face berthing delays, containers stack up, and port users lose valuable hours navigating chaos. The result is higher operational costs and lower competitiveness. Allowing states like Rivers to fully harness their maritime assets would reverse this trend.
Compelling all importers to use Lagos ports is an anachronistic policy that stifles innovation and local enterprise. Nigeria cannot achieve its industrial ambitions by chaining its logistics system to one congested city. The path to prosperity lies in empowering every state to develop and utilise its natural advantages — and for Rivers, that means functional seaports.
Fubara’s call should not go unheeded. The Federal Government must embrace decentralisation as a strategic necessity for national growth. Making Rivers’ seaports work is not just about reviving dormant infrastructure; it is about unlocking the full maritime potential of a nation yearning for balance, productivity, and shared prosperity.
