ICA Demands Seaport in South East, Describes Delay as Economic Injustice

The Igbo Community Association (ICA), the apex socio-cultural group representing the Igbo people in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has called on the Federal Government to prioritize the establishment of a seaport in the South-East region.

In a statement signed by its President General, Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, and made available to journalists on Tuesday, the association lamented the absence of a functional seaport in the region, describing it as a long-standing economic injustice.

According to the ICA, the lack of maritime infrastructure in the South East has hampered business growth, inflated costs, and subjected millions of traders and entrepreneurs to undue hardship.

The group argued that the deliberate exclusion of the region from Nigeria’s seaport network has placed an unfair economic burden on Igbo business owners, who are forced to rely on the congested Lagos ports for their import and export needs.

The association commended the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for his efforts in pushing for the establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC).

However, it urged the lawmaker to go further by championing the creation of a seaport in the region, which it described as a critical infrastructure long denied to the South East despite its significant contributions to Nigeria’s economy.

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Highlighting the region’s vibrant commercial activities in cities like Onitsha, Aba, and Nnewi, the ICA dismissed speculations that a seaport in the South East would be unviable.

It pointed out that the proposed Oseakwa Seaport in Anambra State and the Obeaku Ndoki Port in Abia State have the potential to revolutionize commerce, decongest Lagos ports, and spur industrialization across the region.

The association further emphasized that the continued neglect of the South East in Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure reinforces the perception of marginalization, warning that such exclusion would only deepen grievances among the Igbo people.

The ICA called on the Federal Government to revive and expedite plans for the strategic seaports, urging Igbo political leaders, business elites, and stakeholders to unite in demanding urgent federal action on the matter.

It concluded by insisting that the establishment of a seaport in the South East is not just an infrastructural necessity but a matter of economic justice and national development.