₦airaland Forum

franchasng:
Lagos is overburdened already, adding more seaport to Lagos is not helping the state but killing it. They should focus on building excellent cargo rail from existing Lagos seaports to states like:

Kano
Anambra (Onitsha)
Kogi
Adamawa


It will reduce the burden of loads on Lagos roads which causes traffic congestion and fast road wear. But with cargo railways from Lagos ports to other commercial states, movement of cargo containers will be swift and the loads on Lagos roads will be reduced, traffic will also drop.

Owombakara:
This is really insightful. So there's been a lawsuit withholding the progress of this port all this while.

It's such a shame that the progress that would have been made was stalled by a name change. Why change the name in the first place? Looking at the other 4 proposed ports you can easily see they are named after the community they're located. But a mischievous person decided to rename the Akwa Ibom port and look at what it has caused.

Thanks for sharing this Oga Naptu2, you doing a yoeman's job!!!

franchasng:
Lagos is overburdened already, adding more seaport to Lagos is not helping the state but killing it. They should focus on building excellent cargo rail from existing Lagos seaports to states like:

Kano
Anambra (Onitsha)
Kogi
Adamawa


It will reduce the burden of loads on Lagos roads which causes traffic congestion and fast road wear. But with cargo railways from Lagos ports to other commercial states, movement of cargo containers will be swift and the loads on Lagos roads will be reduced, traffic will also drop.

SonOfDSoil01:
you clowns are just so slow, and Una never still talk wetin Dey pain una on the list, we still have port that have been granted licence in other states, but you have no problem with that but that of Lagos…..just like the person your quoted rightly said, it is a private investment and you can’t tell an investor where to invest it’s money…..just like when you economic migrants left your villages for Lagos, did the government or anyone stop you from coming to Lagos to deverop it like you all claimed? You clowns should just let Lagos breath and stop the hate in Lagos, because it won’t stop our shine and progress btw proudly lagos

naptu2:
Daddy D.O🇳🇬 @DOlusegun

Federal Government has approved certification and compliance processes for five proposed deep seaport projects to reclaim the over 70 per cent of Nigerian-bound cargo transported to other Africa nations.

Lagos State — Badagry Deep Sea Port

Ondo State — Olokola Deep Sea Port

Akwa Ibom State — Ibom Deep Sea Port

Cross River State — Bakassi Deep Sea Port

Rivers State — Bonny Deep Sea Port

Source

Photo 1) Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

AlphaTaikun:
Olokola and Badagry deep seaports are quite okay but would have some competition from the Lekki deep sea port which is a PPP project initiated by the then Governor 'Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Tolarams Group of Singapore back in the 2000s with FG equity as well which is standard practice for all PPP deep sea port projects.

The deep sea ports in the Eastern division are way too much and overextended.

Ibom, Bakassi and Bonny would be competing for ships to berth at their various ports thereby thinning out the market space. However, Nigeria's population is GROWING so, the increased population in years to come would mitigate the negatives of the overcompetition from the Eastern ports of Ibom, Bakassi and Bonny. Since the deep sea ports are PPPs, they can go ahead with the constructions and we'll see how things pan out.

saintkeppy:
.

There are International standard of naming Seaport, it must be named after the Location.
Then Gov Udom thought otherwise, so he effected the name change, he even moved the original site to his Federal Consistency that isn't suitable and deep as Ibaka, shortchanginging and undermining Oron people who are highly Cerebral. Ibaka has a natural deep water without dredging, located along the massive Nigeria-Cameroon Atlantic trade sea route, linking several Central Africa countries, I saw this first hand when i criuse thru this corridor on a business trip to Cameroon a couple of years ago.

Oron Chiefs, Stakeholders ensued a lawsuit, the Chinese investors saw genuine reasons with them after fact finding and ran away, saying they can't spend their hard earn money on shallow waters that will require frequent dredging

naptu2:
The main issue (and the reason for the construction of all these ports) is that a large amount of the goods that are imported into Nigeria actually go through Cotonou and Lome ports. This means that Nigeria is losing out on revenue that should have come to the country if the goods were imported directly through Nigerian ports.

The reasons why goods come in through Lome and Cotonou include:

⚫️ Their ports are deeper.

⚫️ Apapa Port is congested

⚫️ Cheaper port charges

Etc.

These new ports are being built to take traffic from Lome and Cotonou.

AlphaTaikun:
Indeed, YOU have made very valid points there @Naptu. In the grand scheme of things, the Western Ports of Ibeju-Lekki, Badagry and Olokola deep sea ports would LARGELY benefit more here since they are closer to Lome, Cotonou, and Ghana. It's a fact that a lot of the cargos and containers coming into Nigeria are LARGELY meant for industrial hubs in the West of Nigeria (Lagos, Ogun, Ibadan industrial hubs) and the North with theire huge populations. There is also the famous LAKAJI trade hub which receives to-and-fro the BIGGEST trade cargos between Lagos/Kano/Jibia hence the name LAKAJI.

For those traders in the South East of Nigeria who like to complain about being underserved despite having a river port in Onitsha, they already have the 2 ports in Rivers State and with Ibom, Bakassi and Bonny deep seaports, they already have indirect access to the sea.

naptu2:
The truth that many people do not want to hear is that you don't need a seaport in the east.

A lot of the problems of Nigeria have already been solved by our elders, but we've forgotten about them because of politics.

The problem with river ports in the east is the need to constantly dredge them in order to remove silt. This is very expense.

The sensible solution is to revive the dry port in Aba and link it to the Bonny Port by standard rail.

naptu2:
FG clears five deep seaports for investment to reclaim 70% cargo traffic

By : Adaku Onyenucheya
Date: 20 May 2026

The Federal Government has completed approvals, certifications and compliance processes for five proposed deep seaport projects for investment and implementation as part of efforts to reposition the country to reclaim the over 70 per cent of Nigerian-bound cargo transported to Africa.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, listed the approved projects as the Badagry Deep Sea Port in Lagos State, Olokola Deep Sea Port in Ondo State, Ibom Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State, Bakassi Deep Sea Port in Cross River State and Bonny Deep Sea Port in Rivers State.

Dantsoho disclosed this on Wednesday at the close of a three-day Meeting of Managing Directors of Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Member Ports and the Port Statisticians Network held in Lagos.

Dantsoho, who is also the President of PMAWCA, explained that although negotiations with investors were still ongoing due to the huge financial commitments required for such port projects, the government had already laid the regulatory and administrative groundwork necessary for implementation.

“In terms of approvals, certifications and compliance issues, we have taken care of five different deep-sea ports in Nigeria,” Dantsoho said.

He said the planned port projects are expected to improve Nigeria’s ability to receive larger cargo vessels, expand trade capacity and strengthen regional logistics, noting that the country’s growing population, expanding economy and strategic role in servicing neighbouring landlocked countries make investment in deepsea ports inevitable.

According to Dantsoho, Nigeria currently accounts for over 70 per cent of cargo traffic within the West and Central African sub-region, while countries such as Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso also depend partly on Nigerian ports for international trade access.

Dantsoho further stated that the government was pursuing a combination of short, medium and long-term strategies to improve port efficiency, including rehabilitation of existing ports, deployment of technology-driven systems and development of new deep-sea infrastructure.


Speaking at the President of PMAWCA, Dantsoho added that countries across the sub-region, including Ghana, Senegal and Benin Republic, were also modernising their port facilities in response to rising global shipping demands and competition.

Dantsoho said member countries are intensifying investments in port infrastructure, technology and deep seaport development to strengthen trade facilitation and position the region as a major global maritime hub.

The PMAWCA president stressed that ports across the sub-region must undergo aggressive modernisation to remain competitive with other global maritime hubs, cautioning that delays in infrastructure renewal could leave Africa behind in global shipping and trade.

Speaking on the resolution of the meeting, Dantsoho said member states had resolved to deepen the deployment of technology-driven solutions, including the National Single Window platform and Port Community Systems, to improve cargo clearance processes and reduce delays at ports.

In his closing remarks, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, reiterated the need for stronger regional cooperation, strategic investment and inclusive development to drive the transformation of the ports and the entire maritime sector across West and Central Africa.

Oyetola, who was represented by the Director of Maritime Services, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Oyinloye Meshack, said deliberations during the three-day gathering highlighted the importance of collaboration among African countries and joint action in addressing emerging challenges and opportunities within the ports and logistics ecosystem.

The minister said the conference theme, “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development,” provided strategic direction for enhancing the competitiveness and future readiness of ports in the region.

He said the visit by delegates to the Lekki Deep Sea Port demonstrated what could be achieved through strategic investment, innovation and effective public-private sector collaboration.

Oyetola further stressed the need for African countries to work together in addressing supply chain disruptions, climate-related pressures and the transition towards greener shipping systems.

https://guardian.ng/news/fg-clears-five-deep-seaports-for-investment-to-reclaim-70-cargo-traffic/

poiZon:
So if a private investor wants to build a solar panel n battery factory in tvc headquarters cos that's the only location that suits their factory, will the govt allow them and approve it since u can't regulate an investor on what he has to do with his funds...