Reps Charge NPA To Speed Up Utilisation Of Warri, Sapele, Other Southern Ports

By Alkassim Bala Tsakuwa, Abuja

The House of Representatives has urge the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to expedite the decentralization and optimisation of Port operations by relocating designated operations from Lagos to Warri, Koko, Burutu, and Sapele Ports under a structured, phased, and data-driven framework consistent with global best practices in port planning and maritime logistics.

This followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi at the Plenary on Wednesday.

Presenting the motion, he reminded the House that the NPA had recently issued a policy to transfer specific operational activities from the Lagos and Tin Can Island Ports to the Delta Ports in Warri, Koko, Burutu, and Sapele, citing congestion, infrastructure strain and the need to revive underutilised ports.

According to him, there are improvements achieved at Warri, Koko, Burutu, and Sapele Ports include dredging of the Warri/Escravos Channel, rehabilitation of quay walls, underwater corrosion surveys, vessel traffic system upgrades, and new handling equipment procurement, alongside concessions approved by the National Council on Privatisation and the Bureau of Public Enterprises.

He noted that, the policy aligns with the long-standing Federal Government objectives to decongest Lagos ports by distributing maritime traffic more evenly across the country, thereby reviving underutilised ports in the Niger Delta and Eastern corridor to diversify economic assets, reduce regional imbalance, and reposition Nigeria as a competitive maritime hub in West Africa.

Hon. Ereyitomi added, “The Warri, Koko, Burutu, and Sapele ports possess significant maritime capacity, with strategic proximity to industrial and commercial clusters across the Southeast, South-South, and North-Central zones.

“Excessive concentration of maritime activities in Lagos ports has resulted in chronic congestion, logistics bottlenecks, delayed cargo clearance, high demurrage and port charges, severe gridlocks, and high logistics costs borne by businesses nationwide”.

The lawmaker lamented that, Nigeria continues to incur high operational costs and suffer national economic losses due to over-dependence on Lagos ports, despite the presence of viable and underutilised facilities in Warri, Koko, Burutu and Sapele Ports.

He emphasised, that a strategic redistribution of port activities will enhance national trade competitiveness, stimulate economic activities, create employment, promote maritime security, enhance equitable regional development, and advance national decentralization objectives, and fully leveraging the Delta Ports corridor would attract investment flows and improve Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade”.

The House adopted the motion and urged the Federal Government to support the redistribution through complementary investments in rail, inland waterways, and road connectivity linking the various Delta Ports to major trade and industrial zones;

It mandated the Committee on Ports and Harbours to ensure compliance and report within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.