By Okey Maduforo Awka
Senatorial aspirant for Anambra South District under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA Chief Ebuka Onunkwo has lamented that South East business community loses billions yearly due to the absence of Sea Port in the area.
To this end, Onunkwo has described the abandonment of the good old Oseakwa Sea Port forgotten by the federal government since after the NIgerian Civil War.
The Sea Port according to him is closer to the Atlantic Ocean than the Lagos port contending that businessmen and women have been passing through hail transporting their goods from Lagos to the Eastern parts of the country.
“Oseakwa Sea port is in Ihiala local government area and shares boundaries with Rivers state and Imo state and it is closer to the Atlantic Ocean than the Sea port in Lagos ”
“If you investigate what our people who are into importation are facing you pity them and what they lose every year runs into billions of naira and we are the people that are into importation but the powers that be as it were chose to abandon” Oseakwa Sea port and develop the ones in Lagos and that is part of marginalization.
“It is not only in the South East but even in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states . Our country must have to embrace the new trend of Blue Sea Economy”
“With those Sea Ports becoming operational our teaming youths that relocate to Lagos and Abuja can go there at Oseakwa Sea Port to start doing something meaningful for themselves”
“It also enhances the economy of scale in both the South East and South South because you see companies springing up and allied firms coming up there ”
“This is also one of the ways to fight insecurity and unemployment in the area because everyone is busy and engaged ‘
“It would also develop the South East and South South while estates and markets would come on board”
‘I shall champion that issue of Oseakwa Sea Port at the National Assembly and it is not what one person would do alone but the joint efforts of the lawmakers in the South East and South South ” he said.
