Guardian

Director-General of BRACED Commission, JOE Keshi, recently in an interview with MOSES EBOSELE, bares his mind on the strategic role maritime activities can play in the integration and economic development of the South-South region. Excerpt:

WHAT are the prospects of maritime activities in the BRACED (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta) states?

The prospect of maritime activities in the BRACED state is very high. The region has great potentials in that direction. Most of the seaports in this country apart from Lagos are actually situated in the South-South. Warri, Sapele, Port Harcourt, Calabar.

Akwa Ibom is also developing a port.  That gives you almost in summary the great potentials of port development in that region and how the development of these ports could actually contribute to what we are trying to do at the regional level, to create a strong regional economy.

Elaborate on the maritime infrastructure presently on ground in the region?

The management of ports is still within the control of the Federal Government.

In my view, the Federal Government has not seen the need to prioritise the development of ports in this region by paying adequate attention to the fact that these ports can actually be developed. It remains unfortunate that the partial decentralisation that was carried out by the Olusegun Obasanjo regime was later scuttled by some vested interest in the early days of the Yar’adua administration.

The best thing in my view is to decentralise the ports and even possibly allow private sector participation and when that is done, you would see a great interest not only within Nigeria but possibly outside Nigeria of people wanting to develop and manage these ports because it’s a lucrative business and it remain a great danger that we keep focusing on only the Lagos ports (Apapa and Tincan).

We (Nigeria) have well over 80 per cent or more of our ports operations through the Lagos ports (Tincan/Apapa).  If these (Eastern ports) are well developed, it would open up opportunities. It would diversify imports into the country in the sense that not only would Lagos ports be the entry point of imported goods, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri and the rest of them would also become sources of importation because ships would now berth in these ports that would lead to employment in the first instance.

It would even help reduce the long travel of trucks from Lagos to almost all parts of the country in the absence of rail lines.

So, it would be easier to take goods from Port Harcourt for example to Onitsha, which is just how many kilometers away because its less than 2½ hours on a good road. If you would have to go from Lagos to Onitsha it takes longer hours because the truck drivers have now created colonies along the way. They must stop and rest along the way.

The Obasanjo regime created the Southern and Eastern ports authorities and this was later abandoned.  We need to go back to that as a matter of fact. Not just create the eastern or the southern ports activities, but create various ports authorities independent of one another.  The Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) would remain the regulatory body.

For example, you have the Tin Can ports authority, Calabar, Apapa, Warri, Port Harcourt port authority. These authorities would be responsible for the developments of the ports and you would see that two or three of them have the capacity and the potentials to attract foreign and local investors.

We need to understand that these region (South-South) is the source of Nigerian’s wealth. The oil and the gas export go out of this country through these areas and so that alone is a very good reason why these ports should be developed.

But, I understand that the Federal Government might not be able to do these. The government should realise that it cannot do everything on its own.

So, why the reluctance to deregulate the economy completely and just maintain the regulatory postures. I really don’t know. In a situation government keeps saying they can’t do everything, while in reality, they are actually doing everything.

The delays of making/taking some critical decision particularly, in reference to maritime and the rest, about critical infrastructure in the fact that we are in competition with other developing countries, who are gradually opening up their economy and investors are rushing while we are here holding tight and pretending that we can do it alone or that we are working out the regulation.

Take these decentralisation or deregulation for example.  We have been doing these for over 20 years. By now,  we should have actually laid down the frame work.

When should decentralise these ports and look for credible people with the required expertise and resources to give  a model ports. They are available all over the world and they would surely be ready to take over provided the conditions are right in Nigeria.

Is the commission proposing a meeting with the federal government over this issue?

We would be looking into that because it is necessary to open up these regions. There are people, who are interested in port development and even the fact that Nigeria’s resource base is in this region.

South-South is an attractive region to invest in. We can create the necessary environment to encourage investors.  The first step would be for the Federal Government to decentralise these ports. I don’t think that the south-south leadership has focused collectively in this area.

Its probably another  issue we (BRACED Commission) is going to take up this year (2013) because we believe very strongly, that as part of the overall plan for a strong regional economy that maritime development should feature in the BRACED Commission’s  activities.