In a move expected to boost trade, industrialisation, and employment in the South East , the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has commenced reviving the long-abandoned Oguta River Port in Imo State.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Oguta River Port project was designed to provide an alternative maritime outlet for the Southeast and link the region to other parts of the country through the Orashi River, which connects to the Atlantic.
However, the project was abandoned after years of neglect, inadequate funding, and shifting government priorities. Successive administrations had promised to revive the facility, but little progress was made beyond preliminary construction.
Stakeholders say its revival is long overdue, especially as Nigeria seeks to diversify its economy and reduce its overdependence on the congested Lagos ports.
However, speaking on Monday, during a meeting with the Technical Team of the Orashi Special Energy Free Trade Zone, led by its Managing Director, Dr. Chioma Nwachukwu, at the agency’s Liaison Office in Abuja, the Managing Director of NIWA, Bola Oyebamiji, disclosed described the Oguta River Port as a strategic national asset that is central to unlocking the economic potential of the South East.
He emphasised that NIWA was open to public-private partnerships (PPP) to ensure the quick revitalisation of the port facility.
“The Oguta River Port is central to the economic development of the South East and holds immense potential for trade facilitation and regional integration. NIWA is willing to collaborate with credible investors under a PPP arrangement to bring this vision to reality,” he stated.
In her remarks, Dr. Nwachukwu reaffirmed the readiness of the Orashi Special Energy Free Trade Zone to partner with NIWA in actualising the full potential of the port. According to her, the project, when revived, would attract foreign and local investments, spur industrial activities, and generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
With NIWA’s renewed commitment and the willingness of private partners to invest, hopes are high that the Oguta River Port project will finally move from decades of stalled promises to reality.
