A  mariner in the maritime industry, Comrade Harry Waite, has called on the Federal Government to revamp the abandoned Abonnema Seaport in Rivers State.
Waite who frowned at the neglect and abandonment of the port said Abonnema Seaport in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area was a functional port during the colonial era used by the British.
He spoke with The Tide in Port Harcourt during an interview on critical issues bordering on the nation’s seaports.
Comrade Waite who is the Trustee, Dockworkers branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria MWUN, Rivers State, said the revamping of the ports would enhance industrialisation in the region.
He said Abonnema Seaport was established to complement the maritime activities in the two ports in Rivers State and Warri Port in Delta State, but was allowed to die without reasons.
He regretted that the abandonment of the port has bred unemployment and restiveness in the area and called for its immediate resuscitation.
Comrade Waite wondered why the two existing ports in the state are not functioning optimally, even as Lagos ports are over congested with maritime activities.
He appealed to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other relevant agencies to fix Abonnema Seaport for immediate use so as to reduce unemployment in the region.
According to him, the Abonnema Seaport, if put to use, would drive maritime activities to full utilisation and attract investors to the region.
If the port is put into use again by the government, the state and the Niger Delta communities would be transformed into a maritime hub in Africa, he said.

Chinedu Wosu