Onitsha Port Inaugurated
…will boost SE, Nigerian economy – Moghalu
By Olisemeka Obeche
The federal government says the revival and eventual commissioning of the Onitsha River dry port would open new vistas of opportunity for the economy of the south east region and Nigeria.
The managing director/chief executive officer (MD/CEO), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr George Moghalu, who made the declaration on Sunday during official inauguration of the facility, also stressed that the activation of the Onitsha port would reduce unnecessary and avoidable expenses for transporting containers from Lagos and Port Harcourt ports to the South-East.
Moghalu, expressed delight that the long-awaited Onitsha port revival was finally a reality under his reign in NIWA and assured that it would be a game-changer for the residents of Anambra state, the south east region and Nigeria in general.
He enthused: “It is obvious that my commitment to make Onitsha Port functional is no longer a mirage and elusive as many presumed. My good intentions as an Anambra-born MD of NIWA is to make the port operational in order to boost economic activities in Anambra state and South East.”
He added that a functional dry port at Onitsha would “create jobs and wealth, improve ease of doing business, give South East sense of belonging, reduce bottles necks in clearing goods and save monies wasted in transporting containers from different ports to the Southeast.
“It is recorded in history today that containers are arriving in batches to this port after 42 years”, he stressed.
The former national auditor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) added that making Nigeria’s waterways navigable was key to reducing the pressure on Nigerian roads as most of the containers can be transported to their destinations safely by water.
“If our waterways are navigable and open, we can go by water, not by road. It is this aspect that drew my attention to the fact that the pressure we have on our road today can very well be avoided. For example, if 1,000 containers are coming from Apapa port and if half or even 70 per cent are to end in the Southeast – Onitsha, Aba, or what have you – what that means is that 500 or 700 trailers will be on the road,” he disclosed.”
Observers note that so many trailer trucks now taken off the roads through the activation of waterway transportation of containers would be a source of huge relief to, and greater safety on, our roads.
Many business and political leaders have been pleading with successive federal governments to revive and make the Onitsha River Port functional in order to tap from its huge economic benefits to businesses located in the commercial cities of the east, mainly the commercial centres of Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba, thereby saving businesses and the economy the burdened cost of road transportation from Lagos to Eastern Nigeria.
They argued that a functional port at Onitsha would save businesses a lot of money and help to decongest the already stretched Lagos ports.
Moghalu, who identified infrastructural development as a crucial economic initiative that can liberate Anambra state economically, stated that activities in Onitsha Port would create massive employment for the youths and also add meaningful values to the state’s economy. According to him, when fully developed ships will be navigating the Onitsha-Lokoja axis and that, with heightened economic activities around the port, some unemployed youths who may be engaged in negative activities like kidnapping will be engaged.
“The revamping of Onitsha riverport is one outstanding project yearning for attention for many years now. The politics that started in 1980 has ended. This project is going to keep the unemployed youths in Anambra state and South East away from crime as the job opportunities in this project are immeasurable,” he stressed.
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