‘Lagos Must Not Monopolise Ports’, Says Analyst

The Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) move to shift focus from Lagos Ports to Warri in Delta State in a bid to ease port congestion in Apapa has stirred controversy, drawing objections from the Lagos State Government.

A senior aide to the Lagos State governor, Adekoya Hassan, criticised the decision, insisting that the problem did not lie with Lagos but with what he described as “policy flaws” within the NPA.

However, speaking on Tuesday’s edition of ARISE News breakfash show, ‘The Morning Show’, public affairs analyst Godwin Etakibuebu argued that port allocation was not within the NPA’s authority.

“It is not the job of the NPA to decide where goods go,” he said. “It is the responsibility of the importer or consumer to determine where their cargo is taken.”

Etakibuebu, who noted that he has worked in port operations for over 40 years, highlighted several factors shaping cargo movement and port utilisation in Nigeria.

He explained that ports in Warri, Port Harcourt, Calabar, and others, were strategically established to serve specific geopolitical regions, pointing out that Calabar Port was primarily created to serve the northern axis.

“There are technicalities that facilitate the importation or discharge of any cargo,” he said. “Road networks, port positioning, vessel availability, terminal performance, and security all influence operations.”

He added that while most ports were established for regional economic purposes, two were built purely for political reasons.

Etakibuebu dismissed suggestions that Warri port was being newly revived, noting that it has always existed and received vessels.

He also questioned Lagos’ perceived dominance in Nigeria’s port system, noting that “The biggest question we should ask is: why must Lagos monopolise everything? What happens to investments in the southern parts of Nigeria?”

The analyst recalled that efforts were once made to build an ocean port in Warri that never materialised but insisted that Lagos should not be the automatic destination for cargo simply because of past investments.

“I am not against Lagos,” he stressed. “But the position of the cargo should be decided by the importer.”