The Port Consultative Council of Nigerian (PCCN) has lamented that 70 percent of Nigeria’s seaports are in a comatose state following the lack of competence exhibited by successive administrations over time.
The Chairman of the Council, Otunba Kunle Folarin, made the statement recently when speaking during a presentation of books and other academic materials to the management of the University of Lagos.
Otunba said Nigeria has 17 ports but as at today, only six of them are functioning, adding that the inland nature of some of the 11 non-functioning ports also contributed to their demise.
He added 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.”
