The Maritime Union, Nembe Jetty Unit in Rivers State says, the ongoing construction of Bonny, Bille and Nembe jetties in Port Harcourt Township would resolved huge setback in economy and investment in maritime sector of the state.
The Chairman of the Union, Mr David Tekere said this Wednesday in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
He said the impact of the project could be measured in three major dimensions including the economic, welfare and investment opportunities.
Tekere said, “the economic effect is evident in the low cost of transportation, a major factor in determining the cost of goods and services. “Transportation of goods and services to consumption points is the first factor to be considered by investors, and the construction of the water fronts would remove the bottleneck associated to it”.
The Union Chairman called on government to fasttrack the project to eliminate the challenges facing travellers to riverine communities in the state.
He also called on the State Government and Security Agencies to beef up security on the water ways, saying that insecurity on the waterways, especially along the Kalabari rivers has caused the state huge economic setback.
He said the transportation of food items and other commodities were relatively becoming a challenge, which also is affecting the prices of goods in the market.
The union boss said boat owners were on daily basis losing their boats and outboard engines to sea pirates and called on governments at all levels to synergise with security agencies to beef up security on the waterways in the state.
Speaking to The Tide, the Beach Masteo of Bonny Jetty in Port Harcourt Township water front, Mr Henry Jumbo lauded Governor Nyesom Wike for the project, appealing to the government to build a mini-fire service station at the water front.
He said, the Bonny and Nembe Jetties are the most busy loading bays in terms of economy activities and maritime and expressed the need for government to pay more attention to the area to improve the revenue of the state.