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That $7 billion Ogun Waterside announcement is real, and your anger about the Eastern ports is also real but the monopoly you are seeing is not where you think it is.

Let me break it down without propaganda:

1. What was actually approved in Paris?

Ogun Waterside Deep Seaport is not a federal project funded with oil money. It is a state-owned PPP. Ogun State government owns the location, DP World of Dubai is bringing the $7B as an investor, not the Federal Government. They will recoup it from port charges for 40-50 years. This is the same model as Lekki Deep Seaport, which was built by Lagos State + Tolaram + China Harbour for $1.5B, not by Abuja.

So it is not “Tinubu awarded $7B to Ogun”. It is “Ogun found an investor willing to risk $7B in Ogun”.

2. Why do investors pick Lagos-Ogun corridor every time?

Not because of tribe. Because of three commercial facts:

Draft: Ogun Waterside faces the Atlantic with a natural draft of 18 metres. You can berth a Panamax vessel without dredging every year. Port Harcourt is a river port with 7-9 metres draft, even after dredging you need constant maintenance. Onne is better, but still 11-12 metres. Shipping lines go where they don’t get stuck.

Road/Rail market: 70% of Nigeria’s import market, factories and warehouses are in Lagos-Ogun-Ibadan. If you land cargo in Ogun, you can truck it to Alaba in 2 hours. If you land it in Azumini, you still need to truck it 600km on Enugu-Port Harcourt road which is broken, with 15 extortion points, no rail, no gas for trucks. Investors calculate that cost.

Security of cargo: Warri, Calabar, Port Harcourt channels have had high piracy and cargo diversion. Insurance premium for berthing in Calabar is higher than Lekki. That is not federal policy, that is risk pricing.

3. Why are Eastern ports dead?

Not because Abuja refused to approve. Because the model is wrong.

Port Harcourt port is federal-owned, managed by NPA, concessioned but not dredged because NPA revenue goes to federation account and then used to subsidize Lagos ports. It has been commercially unviable for 20 years. No private investor will dredge it without guarantee of cargo.

Abia Azumini-Obeaku seaport as proposed is technically a river port, 25km from the Atlantic through Imo River. To make it a seaport you need to dredge a river channel, build a 40km access road through mangrove, and compete with Onne which is 30km away and already built.

No feasibility has shown it can handle a vessel bigger than 5,000 tons. That is why NPA and Blue Economy Ministry keep asking for another study under the leadership of Hon Minister Oyetola. Chinese company that built Lekki told Otti the truth – it is not viable as a deep seaport, it is viable as a barge terminal feeding Onne.

Onitsha is a river port. It works only when River Niger is dredged. Jonathan awarded River Niger dredging for N36B in 2009, it was done, then abandoned, then silted again. However under Presiden Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda, Onitsha Riverport is now completed and Operational.

So where is the real sabotage?

The sabotage is that Nigeria still runs all ports as federal ports. Lagos and Ogun succeeded because they bypassed Abuja and brought private capital with state control. The East is still waiting for Abuja to approve, dredge and fund.

Governor Alex Otti is doing the right thing trying to bring China Harbour to Azumini, but he should stop calling it a seaport. Call it an Inland Barge Terminal linked to Onne. That approval will come in 30 days because it does not need deep sea status.

However Preaident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved both Internal Container Depot (ICD) and Internal Dry Ports ( IDP) súpervised by Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Rivers State should do what Ogun did: package Onne and Port Harcourt as a single Deep Port Industrial Complex and go to Paris or Dubai to find DP World competitor. Don’t wait for Dave Umahi or NPA. Dave Umahi is Minister of Works, not Ports.

The Blue Economy Minister is Adegboyega Oyetola, and he has said repeatedly any state that brings investor and feasibility gets approval.

The oil money argument is emotional but inaccurate. Oil money goes to federation account and is shared. Lagos generates 40% of non-oil revenue and keeps 15% of it. The East generates oil and keeps 13% derivation. Both are shortchanged by Abuja, not by each other.

If you want Eastern ports to work, stop demanding that Abuja should build them with oil money.

Demand what Ogun got: the right for your state to own your coastline, find your own investor, and keep your own port revenue. That is the fight the five South-East governors and Rivers and Delta should be fighting – not Tinubu re-election, but Port Autonomy Bill.

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State is doing well with the Gas Pipeline project on a PPP Project fór Imolite and Southeasterners

Otherwise in 5 years, Ogun and Lagos will have 4 deep seaports, and the East will still be writing petitions about marginalization.

Onitsha Riverport is the best Southeast can get because the region is far from the Atlántic Ocean. General Abacha once tried to dredge it to the Atlantic Ocean and it was impossible KUDOS TO DG OF THE RENEWED HOPE AMBASSADOR, HE GOVERNOR HOPE UZODIMMA fór putting Imo State Gas pipeline on the world map.

Writer – HON ABIODUN BOLADE (AbbeyGovernor) Maritime expert

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