AMJON 2023: Eze Ohanweh tasks FG to make Orashi-Oguta port operational to decongest Lagos port.

 

The problem of congestion at the Apapa which have become a recuring decimal came to the fore during the 2023 Conference and Awards ceremony organized by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) at Apapa, as a celebrated maritime stakeholder and Chairman Olinco Transworld Groups Limited Apapa, Lagos, His Royal Majesty Eze Dr. Oliver Ohanweh proffer steps that could be deployed by the Federal Government by making Orashi-Oguta port in  Imo State operational to decongest Lagos port.

Eze Ohanweh who is the Obi Gburugburu and the paramount ruler of Isiama kingdom of Isiala-Mbano LGA, Imo State was represented by Emeka Iwueze, a Lagos based lawyer and explained that solution to the issues bothering on congestion of Lagos ports could be found on the step taken by the former President Muhammadu Buhar’s administration after Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State brought the former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to flag off the dredging of the Oguta- Orashi River on 11 May, 2023.

The Monarch charged the journalists, especially AMJON to take step by advocating for the realization and use of the Orashi- Oguta Seaport, adding that about 18 nautical miles distance of Urashi to the Atlantic Ocean cannot be compared to Lagos Port of 50 nautical miles and Port Harcourt 60 that were all dredged to make for navigation.

Eze Ohanweh lamented the suffering of Nigerians, especially the South Eastern, stressing “Going by the present economic realities of the country today and knowing very well that greater number of importers in Nigeria today are Igbos of the Southeast who constitute greater number of the freight forwarders, import 60 per cent of all the containers leaving Apapa/Tin-can seaports to the eastern part of Nigeria.”

According to the monarch “These importers eventually move their goods(containers) to southeast from Lagos. There is need to facilitate the dredging/ construction of the Urashi Seaport in Imo State commissioned in May 2022 by the former Vice President Prof. Yomi Osinbajo.

“I want to thank His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma who saw the importance of dredging this seaport to alleviate the sufferings of importers and by extension generality of Nigerians.

“Urashi Seaport will seamlessly link the Oseskwa Seaport in Ihiala, Anambra State which will no doubt benefit States like Imo, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers Edo and Kogi.

“The sea port if revived would not only decongest Lagos, it would provide jobs, increase revenue base of the federal government, have multiplier effect on the agro and socioeconomic development of the old Eastern Region.”

He pointed out that anyone or agency directly or indirectly sabotaging the realization of the port is enemy of the people, noting that that any losses that the importers bore, would eventually be transferred by way of costs to the already impoverished Nigerians.

He highlighted that despite congestion at Lagos ports of Apapa and Tin-Can, movement of goods to warehouses from Lagos to the Southeastern markets of Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba and Owerri also comes with much cost as a result of extortions by some dishonest law enforcement officers and other agencies on the roads at short distances.

“All these add heavy costs to the goods which are finally transferred to common Nigerians (the final consumer) who consume them in Nigeria and other neighbouring countries,” the royal father said.

Speaking on arms proliferation, he affirmed that with modern technology as scanning machines, such could be detected thereby reduce cases of multiple checkpoints on the road which also cause haulage trucks to charge more for being delayed, and consequently called for urgent review on checkpoint proliferation from Lagos to the Southeastern markets of Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba and Owerri.

Eze Ohanweh who is the group chairman of Olinco Transworld Nigeria Limited, bagged the 2023 AMJON Excellent Leadership Award for his achievements in the maritime sector and frontline role in the actualization of the Urashi- Oguta Seaport.

In his paper presentation at the conference, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Munirudeen Oyebamiji, who was represented by NIWA’s General Manager, Business Development, Surveyor Olumide Adetola, said discovery of oil in the country caused government to neglect development of inner waterways, as they moved their attention on coastal areas where they were doing oil businesses to the detriment of the inland waterways.

Oyebamiji stated that apart from finance which is militating against the realisation of the ports’ development, security has also remained a major albatross and called on private partners to come to the rescue of the development of the inland waterways.

In his words: “Government is saying they don’t have enough money to provide these services, we have been looking into the issue of Public Private Partnership (PPP)So that some of the things we have that the government has not been able to complete, private individuals or private investors can come in and complete it for us, use it for some number of years and return back to government.

“Like the Ogata River Port abandoned for over 20years, if there is an investor that will be ready to complete it, then use it for number of years, government will be interested in giving any investor opportunity to try what they can do on it.

“Apart from PPP, we are looking at aids and grants from international donors who will assist in the development of infrastructures. There are so many things we can do on the water ways but it’s funds that will determine.”

He also called for synergy among the agencies with respect to water transportation, especially the police in terms of areas of jurisdiction in operational duties at the ports.

Earlier in his welcome address AMJON president, Paul Ogbuokiri declared that Nigeria’s Balance of Trade year-in-year-out has always been unfavorable.

Ogbuokiri lamented the poor state of the Country’s mono-cultural economy which, he said needs urgent attention of the federal government to steer the country away from this crisis and diversify as urgent as possible and take the greater advantage of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the recent deal between the Customs Administrations of Nigeria and Benin Republic.

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