It is commendable that one of the largest shipping lines in the country, Maersk Line, has been able to berth its vessel at the Onne Port in Port Harcourt. The shipping line reportedly achieved the feat by working with other stakeholders in the sector, particularly the Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Apart from Maersk Line, other shipping lines have started making use of the eastern ports. The success recorded by the shipping line and others in this regard underscores the possibilities in the maritime sector if all the stakeholders work together.

Without doubt, the maritime industry holds a lot of prospects for massively improving the economy of the country. If well utilised, the maritime sector can create jobs and enhance the country’s foreign exchange earnings. It is therefore desirable that those saddled with the responsibility of managing the sector should work with other stakeholders to make it contribute meaningfully to the development of the economy.

It is good that after many years of paying lip service to decongesting the Lagos ports, the Federal Government has at last woken up to that responsibility by diverting vessels to the eastern ports. Earlier, the NPA under the leadership of Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman has put measures in place to enable the eastern ports take on big vessels. This includes the complete dredging of the Onne and Warri ports put at $44.8 million and $30 million, respectively. We commend the NPA for making sure that the eastern ports, hitherto neglected, are now open for business. Apart from decongesting the Lagos ports and easing the Lagos traffic gridlock, it will also boost the economic activities of the eastern parts of the country. The over-concentration of shipping activities in the Lagos ports and its attendant traffic jam has led to economic hardship to some businesses operating in the area.

It is a fact that our neighbouring countries have gained from the congestion in Lagos ports. The hitherto neglect of the eastern ports has translated to economic boom to the Cotonou, Lome, Takoradi and Abidjan ports as many Nigerians ship their goods through them.

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According to the NPA boss, it takes between two to three weeks for a vessel to discharge its cargo at the Tin-Can ports. Now that life has returned to the eastern ports, we advise the NPA and other stakeholders to ensure the development of other ports in the country. The recent Federal Government’s plan to build two new seaports in Bonny and Warri must be pursued with vigour. All the river ports located at Onitsha, Baro and Lokoja should not be left out of the scheme to develop our maritime sector. The development of dry ports should equally be encouraged. It is good that a good number of them have been established in Ibadan, Kaduna and other cities.

We laud the measures put in place by the NPA to make it possible for vessels to berth at Onne Port. Since the agency is doing a similar thing at the Warri Port, we urge it to extend such gestures to the other ports in the country to optimally enhance the country’s maritime resources. We think that some of the 10 million jobs that government has proposed to create in the next 10 years can be created from the maritime sector if the ports are fully developed.

We believe that most of the resources required for the harnessing of the country’s potentials in the maritime sector are available within. To achieve the goal, there is need for visionary leadership, proper planning and execution of policies as well as the input of the private sector.