FG responds to Olu of Warri’s appeal on Warri Port dredging, still silent on Onitsha Port
Less than one month after the Olu or Warri, His Royal Majesty, Ogiamen Ikenwoli II visited President Muhammdu Buhari and appealed for the dredging of both Warri and Koko Ports to grow navigability, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday this week, approved N13 billion for the dredging of Escravos Warri Seaport and the replacement of bad navigational aids.
Business Hilights recalls that since last year, the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Alfred Achebe, had appealed for the immediate activation of completed Onitsha Port which was redeveloped by former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012.
The monarch made the passionate appeal during the visit of the Vice President last year, but the plea is yet to be attended to due to issues that very hard to interpret by several South East business leaders including the monarch.
Speaking with State House correspondents after briefing the FEC during their on Wednesday, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, said “I am at the State House today requesting FEC to approve the dredging works for escravos channel in Warri and its navigation. Is a challenge we have had in the Nigerian ports we need to ensure that the the channels into the Warri ports are dredged.”
Though the NPA boss was silent on activating the Onitsha Port complex now overrun by weeds, she listed the economic implications of the project, saying “It will fundamentally change the fortunes of Warri ports, it will expand the utilization of our eastern ports, we believe in the need to ensure that all ports locations are given the seamless access by providing dredging works and that is what we are here to do today.”
