70% of Nigerian ports comatose

THE Port Consultative Council of Nigeria, PCCN, has said that 70 percent of the nation’s seaports are comatose following the lack of competence exhibited by successive government over time.

Speaking to Vanguard during a presentation of books and other academic materials to the management of the University of Lagos, Chairman of the Council, Otunba Kunle Folarin, said that Nigeria has 17 ports but as at today only six of them are functioning.

Folarin also said that the inland nature of some of the 11 non-functioning ports also contributed to their demise adding that these were the ports that fed Nigeria before oil was discovered.

He said: “If you look at the Port Act, there are 17 ports there, how many are functioning today, only six, and the rest are comatose. Lack of competence and also because the ports are inland and nobody is ready to provide the channel to work those ports.”

“Do not forget that these were the ports that fed Nigeria, provided the export base for Nigeria, created foreign exchange for Nigeria before oil; Agricultural produce, palm oil, Timber and Rubber; and these were the things that sustained Nigeria before the discovery of oil.”
Source: Vanguard