The forgotten sea port in ANAMBRA South East: OSEAKWA RIVER.
Do you know that the closest potential seaport we have in Nigeria that links Nigeria to Atlantic Ocean Oseakwa river at Ihiala in Anambra state.
It may interest you to know that Lagos Seaport to Atlantic Ocean is 60 nautical miles while Oseakwa river is only 18 nautical miles to Atlantic Ocean.
Shipping goods from China to Lagos with Lagos Seaport is very far than shipping goods from China to Oseakwa Ihiala, using the Seaport at Urashi River Ihiala Anambra state.
This means that Imo, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Rivers, Delta, Edo Beyelsa, Benue, Kogi and Akwaibom businessmen will find it easy to have their goods land in Nigeria by using Oseakwa seaport when it is dredged.
Oseakwa River is one of the potentially deepest seaports in Nigeria at Osemoto/Oseokwa in Imo and Anambra States.
Oseokwa (Ihiala LGA, Anambra State) and Osemoto (Oguta LGA, Imo State) are the deepest natural harbor in the country (over 20m deep) and offer real naval and marine transportation platforms if developed. Besides, it lies only 18 nautical miles to the Atlantic Ocean and a strategic hub for the oil industry and inland dry-docks to promote trade.
It is cheaper to import goods from China to Oseakwa than to move the goods from Lagos to any part of the Country.
It takes about 19 days from American to duck a ship at Oseakwa rive at Ihiala while it takes about 28 days to duck same ship in Lagos .
This potential seaport has the capacity of handling over 35 per cent of marine business in Nigeria.
This deep seaport will create over two million jobs, directly and indirectly, in marine business, oil and gas, power, education, housing, agro-food industry, entertainment, tourism, etc.
The Oseakwa seaport was operational since1904 but was abandoned in 1959.
The moribund oseakwa seaport complex on the shores of the ulasi river in ihiala Anambra state should be resuscitated on a public private partnership model so that it won't be a burden to the state or federal government.
Federal Government should find it as a matter of economic policy to revive the sea port to check mate over dependency on petroleum and diversify our revenue base.
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