NPA ports expansion sparks controversy over Lagos dominance

The League of Maritime Editors has criticized Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu for his remarks on the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) efforts to expand activities at ports in the South‑East and South‑South regions. The NPA has been promoting increased patronage at Warri Port in Delta State, Onne Port in Rivers State, and Calabar Port in Cross River State to decongest the heavily burdened Lagos ports, Apapa and Tin Can Island. Lagos ports have suffered congestion for years, prompting the introduction of an electronic call‑up system to manage traffic.

The editors faulted the governor’s alleged opposition to the development of other regional ports, describing it as an attempt to preserve Lagos’s dominance at the expense of national economic growth. In a statement, they argued that the governor’s stance amounts to an unnecessary intrusion into the operational responsibilities of the NPA and could undermine the development of ports outside Lagos. They emphasized that Nigeria is a federation, not a private enclave, and that insisting on concentrating port operations in Lagos is outdated and counterproductive.

According to the League, 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, they noted, are not the creation of the NPA but a reflection of Lagos’s inability to effectively manage its infrastructure and regulatory framework. Decentralizing port operations, they argued, would promote regional development and strengthen the country’s overall maritime sector.

The editors warned that opposing the expansion of port activities to Warri, Onne, or Calabar would hold the Nigerian economy hostage to Lagos’s structural limitations. Fairness and economic balance, they said, demand port decentralization. The NPA’s efforts to expand port activities in other regions aim to promote economic growth and reduce congestion at Lagos ports, creating new opportunities and improving the country’s maritime sector. The League’s criticism of Governor Sanwo‑Olu highlights the need for a balanced approach to port development in Nigeria—one that prioritizes national economic growth over regional interests.