The Federal Government has reiterated its determination to reposition the Onne Port to maximise its capacity and huge export and import trades potentials.
Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, who gave the assurance at Onne in Rivers State Thursday at the commencement of his three-day fact-finding tour, said that part of the reasons he was visiting was “to look into why the Rivers ports are not working.
“Whatever the challenges are, we will address them. I will discuss with stakeholders and we will come up with short term, medium term and long term plans on how to overcome those challenges and make the ports productive,” a statement from the Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Transportation, Eric Ojiekwe, cited M’azu to say.
He further assured that the dilapidated access road to Onne Port would be rehabilitated, adding that he would liaise with the Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, to see how it could be fast-tracked with Sukuk IV.
Also, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, said that government was serious about the need to increase traffic at the Eastern Ports so as to decongest the Lagos ports.
He said, “We are working with the Nigerian Navy to improve security on our waterways and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has deployed assets under the Deep Blue Project that would be working with the Nigerian Navy to improve security along the waterways.”
The Managing Director of West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Naved Zafa, told the minister that as part of the company’s terminal upgrade and expansion project, it has acquired sufficient cargo handling equipment to improve efficiency at the port.
The terminals visited by the minister included WACT, Intels, OMT, and Brawal.
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