The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to revitalising Nigeria’s Eastern ports to reduce pressure on Lagos and create a more balanced national port system.
Delivering the keynote address at the League of Maritime Editors’ Annual General Meeting and Conference in Lagos, themed “Lagos/Eastern Ports: How to Reverse Existing Imbalance in Disproportionate Cargo Vessel Calls,” Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, said under‑utilisation of Onne, Calabar and Port Harcourt was raising logistics costs and undermining supply‑chain efficiency.
Speaking through the Ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Mrs. Anastasia Ogbonna, Oyetola said government would continue to invest in port modernisation, navigation, security, digitalisation and connectivity.
He stressed that Lagos and the Eastern ports should function as complementary facilities to improve trade and strengthen Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness.
Dr. Pius Akutah, Director‑General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), represented by Ms. Adaora Nwonu, deputy director of the Standard Services Division, urged that cargo distribution be driven by competition and commercial considerations rather than administrative allocation.
He said cargo owners and shipping lines should be free to choose ports based on cost, efficiency, connectivity, reliability, security and quality of service.
Akutah warned that concentration of cargo in Lagos has exacerbated congestion, increased logistics costs, strained road infrastructure and deprived other regions of maritime economic benefits.
To reverse the trend, he called for stepped‑up investment in road, rail, inland waterways and inland dry ports to build efficient cargo corridors linking seaports to destinations nationwide.
The NPERA chief also highlighted the need for digitalisation and transparent
port‑performance data — including vessel waiting time, cargo dwell time, terminal turnaround time, port charges and logistics costs — to enable informed decision‑making and foster healthy competition among ports.
He proposed creating a National Port Competitiveness Index and a National Cargo Distribution Strategy to recognise each port’s comparative advantages.
Akutah urged collaboration among key stakeholders — including the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Customs Service, shipping lines, terminal operators, state governments and private investors — to remove infrastructural, operational and regulatory barriers that hinder optimal port utilisation.
