By OKEY MADUFORO

In the past one week or there about, there has been sustained trading of words by scores of Nigerians over the rejection of Lagos State Governor Sanwo Olu over the move by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to decongest the Lagos ports hence using the Warri seaport as yet another facility.

According to the NPA, the so much congestion of the ports in Lagos has given rise for an alternative port hence the move to use the Warri seaport.

The rejection by Lagos State government has attracted several knocks from most Nigerians especially the business Community who sees the position of the NPA as a welcome development insisting that Lagos sport is not the only port facility in Nigeria.

Between Conspiracy and Politics

This burning issue is one that has brought to the fore the underlying politics of conspiracy apparently aimed at strangulating the socioeconomic development of both the South East and the South-South in Nigeria.

Earlier before the Nigerian Civil War the ports in these areas were viable and boasted of the booming business of importation and other economic activities.

There were Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri and of course the oldest seaport in Nigeria known as Oseakwa in Anambra state.

As it where these ports generated quantum revenue for the country and also reduced the risks involved in freighting goods to Lagos.

It was also a route for the marketing of palm oil which was indeed the main stay of the old Eastern Nigeria but at the end of the war those ports were either abandoned or underutilized hence making them redundant to say the least.

According to Chief Lexy Nwangwu, the first Internationally Certified Freight Forwarder and Fellow Chatted Institute of Freight Forwarders in London and Wales, who is from Okija, in Ihiala local government area; "As at the time it was being touted that the capital of Nigeria would be moved from Lagos to Abuja the Western Nigeria that is Yorubas resisted it with a caveat that should this be actualized, the only seaport that should be functional is the Lagos ports while other ports remain underutilized."

Nwangwu further recalled that this was the bane of other ports across the South East and South-South.

He explained that the distance of the Oseakwa seaport and that of Calabar is approximately 18 nautical miles from the Atlantic Ocean while that of Lagos is over 180 Nautica miles from the Atlantic Ocean hence making the South East and South-South ports more accessible to importers.

With the heavy congestion of the Lagos ports it has become indeed most instructive that alternative ports be used by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Giving bite to the move by the NPA, the Igbo Community Association, FCT, acknowledges the Nigeria Port Authority's (NPA) plan to relocate some maritime operations from Lagos Seaport to Warri Seaport, Delta State.

According to the President of Igbo Community in Abuja, Engr Ikenna-Ellis Ezenekwe, and the secretary Comrade Emmanuel Chinwoke Onah; "We note the Lagos State Governor's objection to this proposal, citing potential disadvantages to Lagos State's economy. The Governor has formally expressed his concerns to President Bola Tinubu.

"However, the Igbo Community Association, FCT, supports the NPA's decision, believing it will promote balanced regional development and reduce congestion in Lagos.

"We urge President Tinubu to allow the NPA to perform its duties without interference, ensuring fairness and equity. The South-South and South East regions have historically suffered marginalization, and this move can help address these imbalances.

"Lagos has long been favoured, and it's time for other regions to share in economic opportunities. We condemn any subtle attempts to marginalize Igbo people in Lagos and urge all Nigerians to promote unity and inclusivity," the statement read.

Deepening the situation is that age long campaign that the Igbos and their kit and kind in the South-South should leave Lagos which most Igbo business men and women have started making considerations.

According to Chief Uzuoma Nwandu an importer who resides in Lagos, "What we go through to transport our goods to the East is indeed excruciating and some time, your truck would develop problems due to the terrible bad roads and you would have to abandon your truck at the mercy of God because you never can tell what becomes of the fate of the truck and your goods."

He expressed happiness that the Nigeria Port Authority NPA has taken a bold step at reviving the other semi moribund ports across the country.

"We the importers of the Eastern Nigeria wish to salute the regime of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for appointing officers and men of the Authority who are progressives aimed at improving the economy of our country," he said.

He however urged President Tinubu to save the financial loss of the South East and South-South by putting all the necessary facilities in place for the ports in the area to thrive while advising the Lagos State Governor to see this move from a bigger picture.

Pundits are of the view that the Nigeria's economy of scale would indeed blossom should the NPA make bold its plans.

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