The national executive of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has condemned the Federal Government’s ‘deliberate abandonment’ of sea ports in Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar.
It slammed the government for imposing high tariff and stifling policies, which can sabotage the economy.
A statement by spokesman Henry Iyalla reads: “It is pathetic that the only seaport in operation in the country is the one in Lagos State. According to a report in The Guardian of July 31, two million containers laden with cargoes worth over N5 trillion are stranded at the Lagos Port, with several vessels waiting to berth, as if the country lacks seaports with the capacity to satisfy the demands of the industry.
“We condemn in totality the huge infrastructural decay, high disparity on cargo charges and deliberate stifling policies against Niger Delta ports, compared to its Lagos counterpart. This has brought under-utilisation of ports in the region, reduced economic gain and mass unemployment. The Onne Port, which seems to be the only vibrant port in the region, is mandated to focus on oil and gas-related cargoes, which makes their charges high. Even when non-oil cargoes are charged, they are charged as if they are oil-related, which is not good for business in this era of economic recession.”
The national executive of IYC Worldwide enjoined the Federal Government to put in modalities for the rehabilitation and operational use of moribund ports in Niger Delta, as a show of interest in the economic development of Niger Delta people.
The group urged the government to call relevant regulators and agencies to order and mandate them to put seamless policies in place so that importers from Onitsha, Aba, Port Harcourt and environs will not go through the stress of passing their goods through Lagos.
“The Nigeria Ports Authority and Nigeria Shippers Council, as regulators, should strive to bring down charges, take a look at the stifling policies and address infrastructural deficit so that Niger Delta ports can be vibrant, to reduce unemployment in the region and provide an alternate route for cargoes, while Lagos Port is de-congested.”