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The perennial traffic gridlock along Oshodi/Apapa Expressway can be a thing of the past if the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) revives other ports located in the South South and South East regions of the country and make them viable. The over-dependence on Apapa and Tincan Island ports in Lagos for all importations coming into the country has caused more harm than good to the economy of the nation’s commercial capital. Currently, the seaports in Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Calabar in Cross River State, Koko, Warri, in Delta State, have been neglected. This has deprived the nation of huge revenue. Available records show that Nigeria loses about N803million daily due to the port congestion in Lagos.
Although the NPA has engaged the services of some professionals in the maritime sector towards making the other Nigerian ports attractive to business, the reality is that not much has been done in that direction. Therefore, we urge the NPA to deploy contractors to site, with timeframe to complete the dredging and other logistics so that these ports will be viable again. A survey by the organised private sector states that Nigeria loses about N3trillion ($10billion) annually due to the gridlock at the Apapa and Tincan Island ports.
According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), over 754 vessels had reportedly left the Eastern ports between 2013 and 2016. The number of vessels that used to berth at these ports had also been drastically reduced from 2,268 in 2013 to 1,514 in 2016. At the Warri port alone, the number of vessels declined from 609 in 2013 to 433 in 2016. The Cross Registered Tonnage (CRT) at the port also dropped from 8,687,160 in 2013 to 6,177,809 in 2016. This is against the global best business practices in the maritime trade.
Also, Onne port, which is one of the largest ports in the country, is said to be grappling with insecurity caused by frequent pirate attacks and sea robbery. Other challenges include deplorable berths, lack of finger mooring jetties to berth NPA crafts and inadequate operational vehicles and fire hydrants at the quays. Also, cargo handling equipment are said to be grossly inadequate at the port quays. Government must provide the required equipment that will make trade facilitation efficient. It is worth noting that the problem of high siltation, which impedes safe navigation at the Calabar port, has made the Eastern ports very unattractive to foreign shipping lines.
While it is good that the NPA has awarded the contract for the dredging of Warri port at a cost of $44.86million (N16.15billion) and has deployed equipment worth about $30milion at the Onne Port, it is important to assess all the challenges that have contributed to the deplorable state of these ports so that they will not be abandoned again.
The condition of these ports is said to have worsened during the port concession in 2006. This was due to the withdrawal of the 30 per cent incentive granted vessel owners to use these ports when the Federal Government was fully in control of the ports.
The problems with these ports, experts say, include the narrow river channels that have made them incapable to accommodate large vessels. The shipping companies have often complained that they find it difficult to take their vessels to the Eastern ports because of this challenge.
Undoubtedly, seaports are major gateways to the economy of any country. They ease transportation challenges, provide harbor and other services. Therefore, the roles ports play in cargo and passenger handling and overall industrial development and transportation chain, makes it expedient to have viable and efficient seaports across the country.
Nigeria’s economic competitiveness will improve if these ports are revived. Government should hasten the resuscitation of these ports and provide easy access to them. It is also important that the government takes advantage of the country as the preferred destination in the West African sub-region and revamp the nation’s idle ports. Since these ports provide oil services logistics, failure to make them functional and efficient will hurt our economy and possibly make it convenient for foreign shipping lines to find alternative ports in the West African sub-region.
