It is common knowledge that despite the proximity of the ports of Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne and Calabar, to their markets in Aba, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Owerri,majority of businessmen from the East prefer to patronise Lagos ports for obvious reasons .And for those who are not familiar with port operations, it is pertinent to educate the general public that it is the responsibility of a consignee to decide the preferred destination of his or her consignment. This is against the backdrop of the widely held misconception that the Nigerian Ports Authority usurps the rights of the importers by insisting on the destination of such goods. To lure imports to Eastern Ports, the NPA has in the past announced several incentives for importers who who prefer to take delivery of their cargo at ports other than Lagos. Shipping World investigations have revealed that this apathy remains the primary reason why most Eastern Ports such as Warri, Calabar, Ports Harcourt and Onne have largely been under patronised. Last Friday, Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections shocked the world when he alluded to an unsubstantiated claim that the Federal Government was deliberately neglecting the Eastern Ports by earmarking a whopping $1b for Ports rehabilitation in Lagos ports. Unfortunately, Peter Obi’s allegation was coming barely a week after Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed the Federal Government’s approval for a major upgrade of Ports Infrastructure in Warri, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Onne. Oyetola who spoke through the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said the procurement process for award of contract had commenced. Oyetola said that this was a deliberate “modernisation of seaports outside Lagos, as part of efforts to ensure balanced development across the nation’s maritime gateways “.
The Minister who spoke at a Conference of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Lagos said the FG’s intervention was aimed at upgrading infrastructure, improving cargo handling efficiency, and expanding capacity to meet global best standards. In his reaction to Peter Obi’s claim ,social critic, Mr Reno Omokiri, took a swipe at the Labour Party Presidential candidate saying Nigeria’s infrastructure investment remains excessively concentrated in Lagos, often at the expense of private investors such as the Lekki Deep Seaport and the Dangote Group. He said available data revealed more revenue has been deployed to ports upgrade in the Eastern Ports than in Lagos.