Seafarers union clamours for activities at Eastern Ports 

By Uzor Odigbo

The Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNOWTSSA) has harped on the need for Buhari-led government to revamp  shipping activities at the eastern ports.

The eastern ports which consist of Warri, Sapele (Delta), Port Harcourt and Onne (Rivers), and  Calabar in (Cross Rivers) have been under-utilised for close to two decades.

Currently, government at state and federal levels have entered into agreement with private investors  for the establishment of deep seaports in the coastal states across the country, a situation that could further hamper the resuscitation of the eastern ports.

Some of the major challenges affecting the ports in the Niger Delta regions include irregular  dredging of the channels, government flip flop policies and insecurity.

However, the seafarers affirmed that the eastern ports would reduce the pressure on the western ports only if government can listen to the core professionals in  shipping related activities.
The National President of the group, Engineer. Matthew Alalade in a chat with Dailyfocus News Online in Lagos on Tuesday, maintained that infrastructural decay in the sector contributed to the lull in shipping activities in Nigeria.

According to him, the pressure on Lagos ports, coupled with infrastructures decay would serve as a reference point in reviving the Niger Delta region ports.

The union boss further reiterated that the dilapidated states of the access roads in the western ports have ripple effects on maritime activities and revenue drive of the government  but has numerous advantage other ports in the  eastern region if government is sincere to shipping development.

He said: “The shipping sector in Nigeria has not done so well in the past eleven months.
“Activities in shipping has been interfered with mainly by the bad roads because they are not in good states and that has made many people not to come and do business there.

Proffering solutions to the anomalies in the industry , he called on the federal government to develop other ports in the east as well as provide adequate security to make shipping activities in the area viable.

Alalade who doubles as the Auditor of Trade Union Congress (TUC) quipped that dredging and developing the eastern seaports in Calabar and PortHarcourt would enliven the shipping sector again.

“The government should develop other ports in Port Harcourt and Calabar and let there be operations there too as well as security in the zone.

“What we have in the past one year has not been a good omen to the industry.