The South-East Shippers Association has protested the constant suspension of activities at Onitsha River Port in Anambra State. The group said that Onitsha port is a natural deposit which Nigeria should focus on the revenue it generates rather than politics of ethnicity. The President of Anambra State Shippers Association, Mr. Emma Akpaka, in a protest letter described the suspension of activities at the port as politically motivated against the Southeast zone. The group lamented the dilapidated Niger road that connects the River port to the Main Market that has become a death trap for the users. “We see it as political sabotage against us. We don’t want what happened to Warri port to happen in Onitsha port. Warri Wharf was labeled a gateway for arms and ammunition. Those who should protest were silent because they did not know it was conspiracy, until those who were illegally disengaged moved to the creeks to forment trouble. When Onitsha River port became operational in 2017, we celebrated and expected that going forward, Onitsha will be in the same page with Jakarta in Indonesia, Guangzhou in China, Bangkok in Thailand among others. Indeed that expectation was right, but there is no enabling environment to augment the contributions of the Federal Ministry of Transport.

Sun