Stakeholders Urges Nigerian Government On Dredging Of Calabar Port

Maritime stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to urgently dredge Calabar Port to boost efficiency.

The Managing Director of ECM Terminals, Mr Dayo Balogun, said that the dredging of Calabar Port would immensely benefit the country’s economy.

Reports said that the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Mohammed Bello-Koko, had explained that though the contract for the dredging of the Calabar channel had been awarded many years ago, the litigation between the NPA and the contractor handling the project had stalled the project.

Bello-Koko, however, disclosed that the Federal Government had initiated an out-of-court settlement with the contractor over the contract.

Balogun further noted that the dredging of the Calabar Port would help to properly feed importers from the southeast and other regions in the country.

“Calabar is currently the closest port to the Northeast, making it strategically positioned for economic activities. Unfortunately, Douala in Cameroon has as its primary market the Northeastern part of Nigeria. Consequently, cargo passing through Douala results in revenue leakage from Nigeria to Cameroon.

“The port, besides its proximity to the Northeast, is also close to commercial hubs like Aba and Onitsha. The pertinent question is what percentage of Nigeria’s cargo is directed toward the Northeast, Northwest, and Southeast primary and secondary markets for eastern ports?

“The cost and inconvenience endured by importers in these regions to retrieve containers from Lagos underscore the potential gains of investing in Calabar’s dredging,” Balogun said.

Also, a former General Manager of Western Ports of NPA, Mr Biodun Gbadamosi, has stressed the need for the designation of ports.

He also urged the government to intensify efforts to ensure rail connectivity to ports for easy cargo evacuation.

“Calabar Port has its virtues as a lighter terminal and should be designated as such. However, its upgrade is limited by nature. Any undue investment would probably result in a negative return on investment.

The strategy ought to be to increase the category of shipping activities in terms of size, volume, and perhaps limited incentive period.

“There is also the need to consider the cargo throughput. In this case, the government’s seriousness towards railway transportation in and out of such ports along with a standard road network is important,” he said.

Olusola Akintonde/Punch news