Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honorable Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the priority of the green chambers is to get ports in the country working to enable jobs creation.
Gbajabiamila made this intention known in Abuja, while declaring open a public hearing organised by the House adhoc committee to determine why the Warri, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Onne and Onitsha Inland ports complexes are not being put to maximal use.
Represented by the House Deputy leader, Peter Akpatason, the Speaker called on stakeholders and all present at the hearing to extensively deliberate on waya to activate these ports.
Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Honorable Buba Yakub also expressed his worries over the increasing loss of man-hours, untold hardship and revenues, that business owners, commuters, shipping and haulage companies suffer in some parts of Lagos as a result of traffic gridlock arising from congestion in the two Port Complexes in the state.
He enjoined all maritime stakeholders present to be fully involved in the deliberations.
At the interactive session, Director Training of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Abraham Adaji, who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas pointed uncharted channels of the Eastern ports, unmarked vessels under water which causes ship wreck, as well as the long abandoned infrastructure among other challenges bedeviling the maximal utilisation of the ports.
Stakeholders present included, Nigeria Shippers Council, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigeria Ports Authority, Intel, the Nigerian Navy among others. END
