One of the great benefits of being a coastal nation is the opportunity to have seaports which creates a lot of economic opportunities, far more than would be available to land-locked countries.
This is because long before air travel and even till date, having access to sea means access to take part in international trade in a big capacity.
Nigeria is blessed with a coastline of 853km, ranking it 92 in the world by length of coastline has taken a decent effort at turning this blessing into an economic opportunity, with six port complexes built along it – the Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos; Rivers; Delta; Calabar and Onne Port complexes. Obviously, the ports in Lagos are the two busiest ports, serving as the economic door into the nation. The bulk of imports and exports of Nigeria go through the port, so much that it is not out of place to forget that other ports exist.
The implication of this is that it has contributed to the overcrowding and chaotic nature of the traffic and environment of the city of Lagos, as businesses that are dependent on shipping activities try to be situated as close to the city or within it as possible. Also, it has increases the cost of business for many importers and exporters, having to transport their goods from or to Lagos.
It has also contributed to the wear and tear of our roads in the absence of an efficient rail system, as containers are transported by land over long distances; this is not to mention the numerous cases of road mishaps involving trailers and containers.
Without doubt, there is plenty of room for more ports in Nigeria, especially deep seaports that are at least 30 feet deep (regular ports are about 20 feet deep), which will allow very large and heavily loaded ships to make use of it. Of course, the larger the ships, the more containers can be loaded unto it, which saves cost in the end.
One region that will be an excellent site for the siting of a deep seaport will be the South-South region, and for all the right reasons:
First, a deep seaport in the region can serve not just the South-South region, but also the South-East which hosts a large number of importers and exporters who have to bear the costs of transporting their goods all the way to and from Lagos. If the deep seaport is connected to the Port-Harcourt – Maiduguri rail line which is under improvement, the port will also make it easier for importers and exporters in many parts of the North-Central and the North-West.
Not only that, such a port will create a new economic corridor connecting the North East and parts of the North-Central to the South-East and South-South, thus reducing the pressure on Lagos and stimulating economic activities and development along the new corridor.
A deep seaport in the South-South will also be a boost to our offshore economic activities and be able to have impact in the entire Gulf of Guinea, impacting deep offshore operations even as far as Angola.
The Akwa Ibom State government during the immediate past administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio initiated the Ibaka Deep Seaport Project which with a depth of about 49 – 54 feet without dredging with a completion date set for 2015. The project, which is also hoping that its being situated in the oil-producing South-South will spur the establishment of petrochemical industries and refineries around the complex for easy export will also have hotels and a dockyard/watercraft repair facilities.
However, the end of 2015 is in sight and the port is far from being completed. It is time that the Federal Government to show support in every manner possible to the project in order to expedite its completion as it is too important to let it be subject to the efforts of only one state.
The involvement of the Federal Government will help to hasten the completion of the project, as it could prove strategic to the desire of the Buhari administration to spread wealth and create economic opportunities across the country.
Lastly, it will also score a vital political point that the administration will not forget the region which largely voted for former President Goodluck Jonathan, considering how impactful the project will be on the area.
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