The League of Maritime Editors has criticized Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his remarks on the Nigerian Ports Authority’s efforts to expand activities at ports in the South-East and South-South regions. The NPA has been promoting increased patronage at the Warri Port in Delta State, Onne Port in Rivers State, and the Calabar Port in Cross River State to decongest the heavily burdened Lagos ports, Apapa and Tin Can Island.

The Lagos ports have been experiencing congestion for years, prompting the introduction of an electronic call-up system to manage traffic. However, the League of Maritime Editors faulted the governor’s alleged opposition to the development of other regional ports, describing it as an attempt to preserve Lagos’ dominance at the expense of national economic growth.

In a statement, the group argued that the governor’s stance amounts to an unnecessary intrusion into the operational responsibilities of the NPA and a move capable of undermining the development of ports outside Lagos. The editors emphasized that Nigeria is a federation, not a private enclave, and that the insistence on concentrating port operations in Lagos is outdated and counterproductive.

The League of Maritime Editors maintained that years of excessive reliance on Apapa and Tin Can ports have led to crippling gridlock, corruption, inefficiency, and the collapse of traffic management systems. These problems, the group noted, are not the creation of the NPA but a reflection of Lagos’ inability to effectively manage its infrastructure and regulatory framework.

Decentralizing port operations, the editors argued, would promote regional development and strengthen the country’s overall maritime sector. They emphasized that opposing the expansion of port activities to Warri, Onne, or Calabar would hold the Nigerian economy hostage to Lagos’ structural limitations, and that fairness and economic balance demand port decentralization.

The Nigerian Ports Authority’s efforts to expand port activities in other regions aim to promote economic growth and reduce congestion at the Lagos ports. The development of ports in the South-East and South-South regions is expected to create new economic opportunities and improve the country’s maritime sector. The League of Maritime Editors’ criticism of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s remarks highlights the need for a balanced approach to port development in Nigeria, one that prioritizes national economic growth over regional interests.