One can imagine the joy of Onitsha indigenes and residents when the city’s river port received light cargo barges with containers last weekend. It was a history made and a long-awaited dream fulfilled. Although the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) said the exercise was just to test-run the activities in the port with the hope of full port operations commencing in the first quarter of 2021, the people of the commercial town and other South Easterners are elated that the project which was muted 37 years ago by former President Shehu Shagari, is finally becoming a reality.
Kudos must be given to the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for injecting life into the project and not continuing with the unnecessary politics and excuses that had put it on hold for almost four decades. It shows that the president understands that government is a continuum; that the fact that one is not the initiator of a project doesn’t mean it should be abandoned, especially when it is a lofty project that will impact greatly on the people as is commonly seen across the country.
The importance of Onitsha River Port cannot be overemphasised. Onitsha is a commercial city with many importers and exporters who cross a lot of hurdles travelling to Lagos to clear their goods. Many lives and goods have been lost in the process. The coming on stream of Onitsha Port means they will be saved from such troubles as their goods will be cleared in Onitsha. That will definitely create job opportunities for the people, impact greatly on the economy of not only the state but the entire region. Borrowing the words of the Managing Director of NIWA, Chief George Moghalu, “There is no doubt that the full operation of the River Port will boost economic activities in Anambra State and the South East in general, create jobs and wealth for our teeming youths, reduce the usual bottleneck in clearing goods and save money wasted in transporting containers from different ports in the country to the South East. It will also decongest our ports in Lagos and reduce the pressure on our roads.”
Why a country of about 200 million people would choose to concentrate all imports and exports in two ports and in one part of the country, allowing seaports in other parts of the country to die, still baffles many. In Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri and Burutu, the story is the same – collapsed infrastructure, unutilised ports. The resultant effect is little or no economic activities in the once busy areas that were sources of income for many. Many people who had business ventures around these ports have long closed shops as nothing was happening there.
One can recall the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, at the twilight of his administration, appealing to the Federal Government to ensure that seaports in other parts of the country become functional as a way of decongesting Apapa Ports. He argued that besides helping the government to save funds spent on managing the traffic and regular repair of roads damaged by articulated vehicles, this will end the gridlock caused by trucks and trailers on the Apapa-Oshodi route.
Similarly, while leading a delegation of members of his Kingdom to Abuja for a meeting with President Buhari recently, the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, appealed to the federal government to hasten action on the rehabilitation of Warri and Koko ports in Delta State as to minimise the incidence of restiveness and rejuvenate economic activities in the area. He decried the deplorable state of the ports which, he said, had been abandoned by the government, noting that the very good and solid ports were left unused.
With the death of these ports, millions of Nigerians are left with only Apapa and Tin Can ports in Lagos State for their port-related businesses. We all know the daunting problems associated with these ports said to be currently handling about 80 percent of all shipping traffic in the country. These ever busy ports are reputed for congestion which seems to have defied all solutions.  Almost daily, heavy duty trailers and other vehicles stuck on the highway for several hours, thereby impeding free flow of traffic. The deplorable state of the roads does not help the situation at all.
These and other unfavorable conditions, some believe, have forced many importers and exporters to abandon Lagos ports for Cotonou in Benin Republic. Nigeria, therefore, loses billions in revenue while Benin Republic gains from our loss.
Let’s, therefore, hope that with the inauguration of Onitsha River Port, due consideration will also be paid to the rejuvenation of other existing ports and probably opening up new ones. Let us hope that Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri and other seaports in the Niger Delta will be made functional without further delay as to reduce the pressure on Lagos ports and also help the economies of these areas to grow?  If these ports are not so deep to accommodate bigger ships as always claimed, why not dredge them and divert ships to them?
I once read about Ibaka seaport in Akwa Ibom State. It is said that this seaport, if approved and completed, can receive super-heavy vessels. It requires no dredging as it opens straight into the ocean and could double as a Navy and commercial hub. It is high time the government considered the approval and opening of this and other ports in the South South and South East and reduce the influx of people to Lagos. This will give the people of these zones a sense of belonging.
As has already been pointed out by many, efforts should be made to secure the waterways against piracy and other security threats so that Onitsha and the other river ports can function optimally. Not forgetting some experts’ view that for a ship to arrive and berth in Onitsha, there is need to properly dredge the river from the Atlantic Ocean to Onitsha and other inland river ports. Efforts towards achieving this will make the excitement of Onitsha residents and the entire people of the South East zone not to be short-lived.

Calista Ezeaku