The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, recently said that work is nearing completion on the Onitsha River port, while work on the River port has actually been abandoned.  Senator Umar while inspecting the level of work at the site recently, told newsmen that President Goodluck Jonathan is likely to cut the tape to activate the port in October this year. But facts on the ground indicates that the much touted Onitsha “Seaport” which is
nestled beside the eastern end of the Niger Bridgehead is a desolate waste.
 
According to the minister, “with the speed with which the contractor is working on the project, it is expected that (it) will be completed in a few weeks. The completion of this project was one of the campaign promises made to Nigerians by Mr. President during his presidential campaign. We will invite him to come and see things for himself."

However, President Goodluck Jonathan should not be hoodwinked to perpetrate this 419 on Ndigbo of South eastern Nigeria. The place is overgrown by weeds

In particular the Minister said "The ports on the Niger River in Nigeria are undergoing a program of dredging and refurbishment in line with Nigerian government policy. The Onitsha River Port has been refurbished and up-graded over the last year adding warehousing, port accommodation, storage space and the two Liebherr cranes".
 
But the two cranes were abandoned at this site since the Shagari administration was sacked by the Buhari/Idiagbon junta. "If indeed another set of cranes have been installed beside the “Head Bridge”, as implied above, what happened to the two that have been there and were overgrown by weeds since past thirty years? asked Dr Okenwa Nwsou.

Recently, an obviously sponsored but misleading editorial appeared On Vanguard Newspaper of 30 September 2011 with the blazing headline: Onitsha river port – at last!
Onitsha River Port Abandoned!

But According to Dr Okenwa Nwosu: "reading through the editorial by the Nigerian newspaper as reposted below, it is hard to believe that one is talking about the same River Niger of our times. It is also difficult to believe that anyone finds something to sing and be happy about the much touted Onitsha “Seaport” which is nestled beside the eastern end of the Niger Bridgehead. I am aware that two cranes were abandoned at this site since the Shagari administration was sacked by the Buhari/Idiagbon junta. If indeed another set of cranes have been installed beside the “Head Bridge”, as implied below, what happened to the two that have been there and were overgrown by weeds since past thirty years? Is there any plan to pave this patch of the river bank code-named Onitsha “Seaport” before the incumbent Nigerian Head of State is ushered in to “come and see things for himself”?

It is wicked humor for one to felicitate the powers that be in Nigeria for accomplishing the impossible for the commercial city of Onitsha based on purported imminent transformation of this river town into a “Seaport”. As per the official plan and design, sea access to Onitsha is intended “to handle a wide variety of break bulk cargoes including iron billets for the steel mills, building and construction materials, spare parts, wine and spirits, tyres, cements, cars and the occasional container”.
The question here is why should container traffic be occasional since we are supposedly dealing with maritime cargo? Are these people aware that almost all sea cargo today is shipped in containers with possible exception of a handful of bulk cargo like grain, cement, liquids, coal and some vehicles?
[b]
The answer to this poser is actually not that far-fetched. Onitsha and other erstwhile River Niger ports are never intended to be “Seaports” as is being touted because there was no intent to make the river deep enough to handle seafaring vessels. The contract being implemented in small segments of the mid and lower Niger is to create a channel that averages 8 feet in depth. If one reads carefully, one would find that not much mention of ship is made as part of projected traffic on the dredged river. Onitsha, therefore, is never intended to be a destination for seafaring vessels or international commerce. At the best, the plan is to make it a destination for receiving transshipped goods from Lagos. Due to the measly disposition of the Onitsha “Seaport” and the shallow lower Niger and the associated network of creeks in the river delta, East-West land route shall likely still handle the bulk of imported goods destined for the Nigerian Eastern Economic Corridor and beyond for the foreseeable future.

"I regret to play the role of a spoil sport by interjecting some reality into the sing song of praise that has been triggered by the reposted editorial commentary below.

"Let me make it clear that the four-decade-old plan for dredging the lower River Niger is totally outdated for the realities of our contemporary Nigeria. It must, therefore, be scrapped and junked immediately so as to cease wastage of scarce funds that ought to be redeployed more appropriately elsewhere. What Nigeria needs badly, as a matter of ultimate urgency, is a master plan for managing the entire lower River Niger in ways that harness its water for agriculture, potable water supply for the growing population and year-round transportation for small seafaring vessels from the Atlantic up to Baro and Markurdi as a minimum. The most appropriate size, design and location of the proposed 2nd Niger Bridge shall depend mostly on the master plan for managing the entire lower River Niger."[/b]
*****************************

The Vanguard Editorial said: From all indications, there is every reason to hope that at last the river port facility at Onitsha will soon be completed and put to use. The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, while inspecting the level of work at the site recently, disclosed to newsmen that President Goodluck Jonathan is likely to cut the tape to activate the port in October this year.

Work on this port was resumed in earnest on December 12, 2009 under the President Umaru Yar’ Adua regime with an award of contract valued at N4.182 billion to Inter-Bau Construction Ltd to ensure the installation of all facilities and equipment necessary for harbour operations. According to the minister, “with the speed with which the contractor is working on the project, it is expected that (it) will be completed in a few weeks. The completion of this project was one of the campaign promises made to Nigerians by Mr. President during his presidential campaign. We will invite him to come and see things for himself.”

This comes as cheering news given the sad history of this project. It was established over 30 years ago under the regime of President Shehu Shagari. But when the military intervened, the project was one of those abandoned nationwide. However, some commentators have voiced the view that ethnic and sectional politics was the major bedevilling factor behind the abandonment of the project. There seemed a conspiracy in some quarters to frustrate the development of new ports and rehabilitation of old ones, in spite of the fact that the Lagos ports had become perennially congested with attendant hardship to the economy and port users.

Several attempts made to dredge the River Niger became enmeshed in ethnic politics as some groups vowed to frustrate the dredging. However, the government of the late President Yar’ Adua rose above 30 years of ethnic and sectional bias and preceded full steam with the dredging of the Niger through to Onitsha, Lokoja and Baro. The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has kept faith with his predecessor’s determination by firmly taking this project to its logical conclusion. Hope has risen on the establishment of similar ports at Lokoja in Kogi State and Baro in Niger State.

With the completion of this waterway project, the years of waste to which the River Niger had been subjected would come to an end. A great natural resource would begin to play its role in the economic transformation of Nigeria, as boats and barges would be floating up and down the great river, bringing goods and people from the coast to the hinterland and back again.

New job opportunities would be created and a lot of pressure would be off the road network, thus contributing to their longer years. Most importantly, the heavy burden imposed on Lagos ports would be eased off and the commercial environment in the South-East, South-South and North-Central will be enhanced.

We commend the Federal Government, especially the regimes of the late President Yar’ Adua and the incumbent President Jonathan, for their patriotism and commitment to justice and even development of the country. We also commend the Minister of Transport, Senator Umar, for his obvious resourcefulness towards the expansion of the port network in Nigeria. We have since taken note of his doggedness to ensure the actualisation of the deep seaport project at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State.

We urge both the federal and state governments to continue to cooperate to ensure that all our sea and river ports in Lagos, Olokola, Koko, Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar and along the River Niger are constructed and maintained in readiness for the envisaged economic boom which many have prognosticated for Nigeria within a few years.

The roads, waterways, airports, Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and railways are great instruments not only for economic prosperity of nations but strong means of national integratino. We are glad that the Federal Government has decided to invest heavily in this direction, and urge them not to relent.
***************************************

However,  Dr Nwosu again said: We need to "upturn this heap of lies being funneled to the deaf and dumb “intellectual” powerhouse that abounds in our contemporary Nigeria. , The intellectually blind, deaf and dumb are often in positions of power in Nigeria.

How can one “have the press balance the minister’s statement” when the same media outlets are the ones at the lead in chanting songs of praise routinely mislabeled editorial commentary? The piece above is an editorial commentary by a trashy newspaper outlet somewhere in Nigeria. Someone has already been paid for this release and as far as the press is concerned, that deal is done with and closed. Don’t tell me that you are suggesting investigative journalism for the Nigerian press. Who then shall pay the piper? Which political leader do you think shall pay to be investigated or critiqued?

Electronic media, especially the Internet, constitute the future of the Nigerian mass media. The days of the Daily Times, Guardian, Vanguard, New Nigerian etc as the sole purveyors of news and commentary are behind us. The modern tools empower us to puncture the lies with hard facts portrayed in glaring detail. The initiators of the so-called “Arab Spring” did not fold their arms to await the leading national dailies in Cairo, Tunis, Damascus, Tripoli etc to enlighten and mobilize the citizenry, especially the restive youths. The people simply utilized the universally available modern electronic tools for mass information to disseminate the facts and as they would say, the rest is now history.

Let’s first focus on baring the facts as they really are, not what those in power would wish the reality could have been. Remember that no square inch of the real estate in contention is more than one click away from the prying eyes of Google Earth. And this 21st-Century tool is getting much better by the day as you can see below.
Onitsha River Port Abandoned!
Empty Onitsha “seaport”, outlined in red, is less than half a block in its widest dimension. Site was abandoned since 1980s.

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8416:onitsha-river-port-abandoned&catid=36:pointblank
WWW.ELOMBAH.COM

Fake source. All these newspapers sef! From Sun to Tribune to Odili, now this?! SMH!!!

Is GEJ still commissioning this project this October? This is October right?


Obviously, SE just got 419ed all over again,


Nigeria is just one fcukkkeeddd up country.

jason123:

Fake source. All these newspapers sef! From Sun to Tribune to Odili, now this?! SMH!!!

Unfortunately, nearly all your dailies and news outlets are all bought and paid for by politicians to peddle rubbish and propaganda.

Btw, is there any reason to put out a fake story about this port? Don't we all know the sad and unending sorry history of this port?

It's been decades of  unconscionable lies, re-awarded contracts, looting and deceptions.

^^^
I think its safe to say that we, Nigerians, have to wait till the end of the month before we can start complaining. After all, the month is not over.
Secondly, we have not seen this article on a "main" newspaper. Its "elombah" for goodness sake. So, I still don't believe it, with all due respect to you.

I like your sense of optimism, but it sounds like you don't know your own country. That project was abandoned months ago,


lol @ main newspaper? Your main newspaper publish lies and propaganda everyday, they are owned by the same crooked and corrupt politicians.

Outlets like Elomba are more credible simply because these are unfiltered voice of the people and facts on the ground.

When you say a project was abandoned then you imply that they even started which may not be the case.

otokx:

When you say a project was abandoned then you imply that they even started which may not be the case.

You mind quoting exactly what you are talking about?

I think this poster has been in coma since he heard that Onitsha Port was awarded, now that he has been brought back to consciousness on reading a propaganda story. Well its a shame to him and his generation that Onitsha Anambra state, SE and Nigeria at large has been give a brand new Port in Onitsha. I just confirmed from a friend in NIWA that the president is set to commission the Multi-billion naira project in Onitsha come November this year. I even passed the project just two weeks ago in Onitsha, I must say its a major capital investment to behold.

October don almost finish

We dey watch

dayokanu:

October don almost finish

We dey watch

You might want to forget about October, the clown above your post don move the goal post to November,

The good news here is that am a living witness of this laudable project, the Onitsha Port has been delivered since last August, what is remaining now is commissioning by Mr President. You yarobas are sadistic in nature no wonder you guys are unprogressive and still live in the mud houses even in the 21st century. I had to get my cousin out from one nonsense town they call akure where she was posted for her nysc. She has not finished telling her story of how mud houses are lined up in heart of state capital. It will take the yarobas two million year to get to the level where the Igbos are. Onitsha Port will soon take off to the envy you sad people and ships will be berthing their, with Igbo containers no more lagos nonsense

So there are no Nairalanders in Onitsha that can go out to the River port and take some pictures and put this whole mess to rest ?

I was all happy we getting a river port in Onitsha so I can ship my 12 containers direct to the east by December, now I'll have to start making

other arrangements.

No one has images of this "laudable" project to show?

This is (one of) the cranes at the port as it was before the renovation:

[center][/center]

This (one of) the cranes now:

[center][img]http://www.marinelink.com/images/show.aspx?aid=6247&width=310&height=500&/dsc_0505.jpg[/img][/center]

Doesn't seem abandoned to me, especially with the mounds of sand and construction crew infront of the actual port. So either 1 of 2 things has happened:

1. The river port hasn't been abandoned, is possible late, and the "newspaper" is full of shit, or
2. Someone had bought two replacement cranes, hired a construction crew, and suddenly abandoned the project.

I'm glad Onicha port is recognised as a threat.

So no pictures of the "completed" port /"laudable" project??  Aren't there Nairalanders out there in Onitsha who can show that those attempting to counter the content of the article have an argument?

There is no completed port, if you read, you will see that the deadline is October, and obviously all deadlines are not met. All we have is nothing from people with limited information.

There's seems to trouble with understanding.

Eko Ile:
Obviously, SE just got 419ed all over again,

Eko Ile:
Btw, is there any reason to put out a fake story about this port? Don't we all know the sad and unending sorry history of this port?

It's been decades of  unconscionable lies, re-awarded contracts, looting and deceptions.

Eko Ile:

I like your sense of optimism, but it sounds like you don't know your own country. That project was abandoned months ago,


lol @ main newspaper? Your main newspaper publish lies and propaganda everyday, they are owned by the same crooked and corrupt politicians.

Outlets like Elomba are more credible simply because these are unfiltered voice of the people and facts on the ground.

otokx:

When you say a project was abandoned then you imply that they even started which may not be the case.

I have officially destroyed everyone on this thread at: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-779812.0.html

[center][/center]

Meet you there.

My brother Ezeagu, leave this sadistic yarobas. My greatest happiness is that they have been threatened by the fact that Onitsha Port will very soon come stream hopefully before the end of the year. The progress of the work is quite impressive

Hmmm. So that article was false. Why would anyone do something like that?

I'm actually not sure why a river port is given the same status as a seaport, here on nl, but you know, whatever.

Godspeed.

tpia@:

I'm actually not sure why a river port is given the same status as a seaport, here on nl, but you know, whatever.

Godspeed.

some times you have have to leave chino11/chy101 and co to be deluded. Once you try to explain to they, they would call you a bigot and insult an ethnic group immediately.

Please let just keep calling it the seaport they want us to call it to avoid all forms of silly exchange of words

Bawss1:

Hmmm. So that article was false. Why would anyone do something like that?

Failure of a thread filled with even more failures.

Recent pix of d site or I.D.B.I.

Have they commissioned the port?

They are still waiting for its commisioning. Madt people. lmao

There is a limit to deception.