The Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Mrs. Patricia Igwebuike has called for a collaborative effort to make the Onitsha River port functional.
The Commissioner who spoke during a one-day seminar organized in Onitsha by the Nigerian Shippers Council Anambra State Chapter highlighted the economic importance of the Onitsha Sea Port to the State.
In a remark, the chairman on the occasion who is also the former president of Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Sir Chris Ukachukwu said that Onitsha Sea Port is a very strategic project that requires cooperation of every person to make it functional.
He lamented the various efforts made to draw business activities to the River Port despite being commissioned twice, by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2017 and President Muhammad Buhari in 2018, yet the Port remained moribund.
In an address, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Council, Barrister Pius Okeyemo, represented by the Zonal Director, South-East Zone, Mrs. Margaret Chigozie-Ogbonna observed the need for the dredging of the river Niger so that cargo can come in, saying that seventy percent of cargo that comes in through Port Harcourt ends up in Onitsha as it is the centre of commerce and trade.
Mrs. Ogbonna reiterated the importance of online registration for users of the Onitsha River Port as it holds immense potential for businesses and the State’s economic transformation.
The President, Anambra State Shippers Association, Mr. Emma Akpaka, explained their efforts to draw patronage for the Onitsha River Port, saying that the success story of the port will only be complete when importers and exporters begin to patronize the Port.
Papers presented by Mr. Yusuf Ajoge and Mr. Ken Anyadiegwu harped on the strategies to draw shippers’ attention to the Onitsha River Port as well as its economic importance.
Panel discussions on the papers presented and presentation of communique were the highlights of the event.
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