By BEN OSUAGWU
South East of Nigeria is unarguably the economic hub or heartbeat of the Nigeria Commercial activities. Virtually all the States are trending in various types of businesses. Unfortunately, for the people of the Eastern part of the country to clear their goods from the Seaport, they have to travel to Lagos. This poses serious danger and high cost of goods and transportation to the people. Recent developments have shown that the non availability of any Seaport in the South East is a deliberate policy of the federal government influenced by some Bigots from the South West region. As a way to forestall this menace,there’s every immediate NEED to dredge the ORASHI River/ Oguta Lake. Posterity will forever remember any administration that will dredge ORASHI River/ Oguta Lake to give the people of South East a Seaport. The idea of going to Lagos and some Bigots there use the one built by all Nigerians to taunt the Easterners must be put to an end. The Oguta Lake is much closer to the Atlantic Ocean than the Lagos Seaport. For South East and other Easterners not having a Seaport is Political. If need be, let us build a Seaport as we built Imo Airport by making individual and Corporate Organisations contributions. When the people of the South East needed an Airport, especially the people of Old Imo State comprising Abia,Parts of Ebonyi and the present Imo State, the federal government refused to approve or build any with a flimsy reason that any Airport to be constructed will always have hazy/cloudy weather and above all, will be very close to the Portharcourt Airport. Some Eminent leaders of the State met with the then Governors General Ike Nwachukwu and Commodore Alison Madueke and expressed the great desire for an Airport in the State. Alison Madueke who took over from Ike Nwachukwu said that the Budget of the State could not accommodate the construction of an Airport but said if he saw Two Million Naira, he will be able to start it. Note that the Annual Budget of the State then was between Twenty Five to Thirty Million Naira.The people of Owerri Zone at the meeting with Governor Madueke moved out of the meeting for some minutes where Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu gave a cheque for Two Million Naira on the spot. With the money, the construction of the Airport commenced. Prior to this period, all Imo sons, daughters, individuals ,various organisations and Civil Servants had started making contributions through levies, voluntary donations and so on. Today, the Airport is in Imo State serving all Nigerians. We need to reignite the spirit. Waiting for the present Federal Government to build a Seaport in Igboland will be when the Biblical Adam & Eve come back to life again. An Igbo Proverb said that”the lizard says she knows the hand that wants to throw a stone her”. We must not wait for them. The State Government should as a matter of utmost urgency set up a Committee to plan the building/construction of a Seaport in Imo State. Abia State Government should also think towards dredging the Azumini River. Both Orashi River, Oguta Lake and the Azumini River are far much closer to the Atlantic Ocean than any other river in the country. The Federal Government knows this but political ETHNICISM and NEPOTISM blind fold them from acting wisely.We must tell ourselves the home truth that South East is not treated by the Federal Governments as a full entity of the Country. When the immediate previous Federal Government of Buhari started constructing Rail Lines across the country,, none was done in the entire Eastern Region not even remembering that the Minister of Transport was from the Region. Rather, the Rail Lines were taken to Niger Republic,Chad and heading towards north African countries. The worst reprehensible aspect of the Rail line issue is that the money used in funding the projects ran into trillions of dollars to be repaid by the governments including the Eastern Region that didn’t benefit from it. In effect, the policy is designed to make the region land locked. Not even their roads were repaired or reconstructed.
Recently, the federal government approved the building/construction of a Seaport by Dangote in Ogun State,yet there’s none in any South East States. Time has come for us to revive our original Igboness in us and pull the Bull by the horn. Our destiny is in our hands. Whether we like it or not, we’re not part of them. We must stop any pretences. Imo Airport was built through levies, individual donations and Corporate Organisations contributions, let’s go back to that method and have our own Seaports in the South East. Our governments should rise to the Occasion now or never.
