By: Chinedu Wosu

In a bid to improve maritime activities and containers traffic at the Eastern Ports, the Federal Government says it would revitalize the ports to reduce huge traffic at Apapa Ports
The government said the aim is to boost trade and maritime activities at the Eastern ports
Minister of State for Transport, Senator. Gbemisola Saraki, stated this in Port Harcourt during a one-day stakeholders workshop with the theme, “Framework to Stimulate Activities and Encourage Patronage in the Eastern Ports”,  held at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
Senator Saraki said throughout history, the Eastern Ports of Calabar, Warri, Rivers Port Complex and Onne, Koko, Burutu have played major role in the development of international trade through shipping and nation building
The workshop, she said, was organized to listen to the complaints and gather information on the challenges faced by shippers to enable the government take necessary steps in resolving them.
This, shae said, will be done with a view to encouraging shipping activities at the Eastern Ports, in view of the fact that 75 percent of shippers are from the Eastern region.
She decried that these ports are experiencing a downturn in shipping as a result of dwindling infrastructure, insecurity, low channels draughts, power supply at the ports, including unavailability of marine infrastructures.
The Senator insisted that the revitalization of the Ports would create employment in the region and reduce criminalities.
The Minister also noted that Lagos Ports are over burdened in terms of receiving and handling of inbound and outbound cargos, thereby causing gridlock with its attendant consequence of delay  in clearance process, loss of manhour, revenue and corruption.
“I am pleased with this workshop because having noticed that most of the recommendations are to be carried out by the Nigerian Ports Authority and other Agencies supervised by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, it has also created an avenue to enable other relevant ministries, department and agencies involved in shipping to contribute and proffer ways which the resolutions of the committee will be implemented to enhance patronage of the Eastern Ports”, she said.
She noted that the Federal Government has taken steps towards improving the patronage of the Eastern Ports by putting issues of policies, security, and infrastructure in the front burner.
On insecurity, specifically attacks of vessels and kidnapping of crew members, the minister said Nigeria has entered into agreement with an international company to provide water protection to deal with issues of insecurity resulting from piracy, robbery, kidnapping and armed robbery in Nigeria’s waterways.
“We are committed to the deployment of a multi modal system of transportation from all our ports.
“It is our belief that both the government and private sector have important roles to play in contributing to the development of the maritime sector and stakeholders implored to commit, synergize and cooperate towards these efforts to bring patronage to the Eastern ports for the benefit of the nation.
“I therefore expect that at the end of this workshop, the constraints of the shippers within the Eastern Ports axis would have been obtained to enabled government take necessary action in resolving them”, Saraki said.
Earlier, the Acting Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, said the Authority had set up a committee to look into the low patronage of vessels and investors experienced by the Eastern ports.
Koko noted that the management of NPA is also tackling problems of low cargos and insecurity in the four ports.
He also stated that the NPA is seeking collaboration with the Nigerian Navy  in tackling  sea piracy in the waterways, especially in Calabar.
The MD noted that in all Ports in the country, it is only Calabar Port that has jetty that services passengers outside the country and appealed to investors to key into the sector to boost water transportation in the country.
He further appealed to importers and exporters to always patronise the Eastern ports for quick delivery of cargoes and inefficiency.