The Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Onitsha Area Office, hosted a seminar to create a conducive environment for all stakeholders and establish an efficient economic regulatory system in the transport sector. The theme, ‘Optimizing Potentials of Onitsha River Port: Stakeholders’ Perspective and Prospects,’ aimed to engage stakeholders in an interactive session.
Chairman of the occasion, Chris Ukachukwu emphasized the goal of establishing an enabling environment for stakeholders to thrive. He noted that the seminar would be an interactive session where every stakeholder would be involved, allowing them to achieve the goal of creating a favorable environment for all.
The President of the Anambra Shippers Council, Mr. Emma Akpaka, provided a brief history of the Onitsha Port, which was first commissioned in 1983 by President Shehu Shagari. The port was re-commissioned in 2012 by President Goodluck Jonathan, and again in 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, despite these efforts, the port has yet to see any significant import or export activities, due to a lack of patriotism from importers.
Mr. Akpaka made a passionate appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to visit the Onitsha Port, urging him to inspire relevant authorities, particularly importers and exporters, to upgrade and streamline their procedures to reduce delays and inefficiencies at the port.
In a message from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Mr Chinedu Ike on behalf of the Anambra State Government, represented by the Director, Ministry of Information, Mr. Emmanuel Ikegwuani, reiterated the government’s expectation that the concessionaire of Onitsha Port should operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 52 weeks a year.
Mr. Ike emphasized that the import and export services from the Onitsha River Port are crucial to the government’s economic transformation agenda, and the port is a vital enabling infrastructure for this purpose, urging the Shippers Council to take a proactive role and accelerate the performance of the Onitsha Port.
The technical session featured presentations by Mr. Yusuf Ajoge and Mr. Ken Anyanwu, who shared their expertise and perspectives on how to bring importers together and optimize the potential of Onitsha River Port. Their presentations aimed to highlight the benefits of the port to stakeholders and the economy, and explore ways to maximize its utilization and efficiency.
A discussion panel was formed to summarize the key points from the seminar, emphasizing that the success of Onitsha Port hinges on the support and patronage of importers and exporters.
The panel stressed that the port’s workability is contingent on the active involvement of stakeholders and advised against dumping refuse in the gully, as this can lead to clogging of the River Niger and hinder the port’s operations, stressing that once the port becomes fully operational, it is expected to boost economic growth in the state by expanding Onitsha Market and creating new opportunities for trade and commerce.
The event featured Commissioner for Transport. Mrs Patricia Igwebuike,
Onitsha District Commander, Federal Road Safety Corp, J N Nnamdi,
Officers from Nigeria Customs among others.
Nigerian Shippers’ Council Calls For Stakeholders Collaboration
