Governor Bassey Edet Otu of Cross River State has thrown his full support behind the Federal Government’s newly launched strategic roadmap for Nigeria’s maritime sector, hailing the prioritization of the Bakassi Deep Seaport as both visionary and long overdue.
The comprehensive roadmap, embedded in the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, was recently unveiled in Lagos by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola.
The policy earmarks nine deep seaports, including Bakassi, for accelerated development in a bid to reposition Nigeria as a dominant player in global maritime trade.
“This policy signals a new dawn for the sector,” said Oyetola during the policy presentation. “Our objective is clear: to catalyze sustainable development by accelerating the completion of critical deep seaports that will drive economic transformation.”
Reacting to the development, Governor Otu described the Bakassi Deep Seaport as the “crown jewel” of his administration’s economic blueprint. He commended the federal government’s initiative as timely and crucial, stressing its transformative potential for Cross River and Nigeria at large.
“This project is not only central to the industrial future of Cross River,” Governor Otu stated, “it is a national asset capable of unlocking regional prosperity and redefining Nigeria’s place in global maritime trade.”
Highlighting a major challenge facing Nigeria’s maritime logistics, Otu revealed that only 21 percent of shipping cargoes currently arrive through Nigerian ports, while a staggering 79 percent are diverted to ports in neighbouring countries such as Benin, Togo, and Ghana.
He attributed this trend to the shallow depth and limited capacity of Nigeria’s existing ports, which are ill-equipped to handle modern, large vessels.
“The implication,” he said, “is that cargoes meant for Nigerian ports are smuggled into the country from our neighbours. One hundred per cent of those cargoes were originally intended for Nigeria.”
According to Governor Otu, the completion of the Bakassi Deep Seaport would end this maritime inefficiency and restore Nigeria’s leadership in West and Central African trade.
Strategically located at the gateway of the Gulf of Guinea, the Bakassi port is expected to serve as a major logistics hub for the South-East, South-South, and Northern trade corridors, spurring industrial growth and massive job creation.
The National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy aims to drive a 7 percent annual growth in the sector by leveraging Nigeria’s 850-kilometre coastline and extensive inland waterways.
In addition to Bakassi, other seaports listed for development include Badagry, Olokola, Ondo, Bonny, Burutu, Benin, Ibom, and Agge.
Maritime stakeholders say the renewed federal commitment signals the long-awaited political will and institutional backing needed to finally actualize the Bakassi Deep Seaport and other strategic maritime infrastructure.
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