Despite glaring potential and strategic location, the Delta State seaports, namely—Warri, Koko, Sapele, and Burutu – remain abandoned and underutilised, a testament to the Nigerian Ports Authority’s chronic neglect and misplaced priorities.
While the nation’s maritime resources hold the promise of economic revitalization and employment, these vital ports have been left to crumble, overshadowed by persistent federal government indifference and mismanagement.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s recent plea to the Federal Government to breathe life back into these dormant seaports underscores a growing frustration in Delta State. Instead of reviving existing ports that could unlock economic prosperity and catalyse job creation, attention and funds have been funneled into new projects that do little to address longstanding decay in this vital maritime region.
Security concerns, shallow drafts, and dilapidating infrastructure plague the Delta ports, yet the Nigerian Ports Authority has failed to act decisively. The abandonment has only reinforced Lagos’ stranglehold on Nigeria’s maritime traffic, with over 90% of shipping activity concentrated there, leaving the Delta ports to languish in neglect.
Despite boasts from NPA leadership about exciting expansion plans and investment in Eastern ports, the reality on the ground in Delta is starkly different.
Channel dredging touted as ‘ongoing’ has yet to materialise properly at Warri and other Delta ports, while critical infrastructure like berths and breakwaters continue to crumble without meaningful intervention.
This disconnect points to a troubling lack of political will and commitment at the federal level to develop the Delta ports as economic powerhouses.
Moreover, the NPA’s focus on modernization and boosting Eastern and some other ports has so far failed to translate into tangible results for the South-South region. The result is a deepening economic malaise that threatens the livelihoods of thousands who depend on maritime trade and related industries.
The abandonment of these ports will not only stifle Delta State’s economic potential but also undermines Nigeria’s ambition to be a leading maritime hub in West Africa. It begs the uncomfortable question: why is the Nigerian Ports Authority and the federal government content to let crucial national infrastructure rot while touting progress elsewhere?
Unless there is urgent intervention to put the Delta seaports back on the map; with real investments, effective management, and security guarantees—the region faces decades more of economic marginalization and missed opportunities. The maritime riches along the Delta must no longer be squandered by bureaucratic apathy and neglect. The clock is ticking, and the time for action is long overdue.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, through statements by the NPA Board Chairman Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, projects a positive and forward-looking narrative regarding the development of Delta State seaports. The NPA leadership expressed readiness and commitment to partner with the Delta State Government to revive and optimize the Warri, Koko, Sapele, and Burutu ports, describing them as strategic gateways essential for boosting trade, creating employment, and driving economic growth.
They articulate that although Delta ports currently contribute about 10.7% of national trade volumes, there is significant room for improvement with stronger collaboration.
While acknowledging challenges such as underutilization of facilities, collapsed quays, shallow drafts, and the need for deep seaports to attract large vessels, the NPA pledges to assess these challenges firsthand and implement solutions, including dredging and rehabilitation efforts.
The MD and NPA Board also commend the Delta State Government for its role in enhancing security around the ports and fostering a peaceful environment for business, citing ongoing infrastructural collaborations such as road projects. They emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships, modernization efforts, and stakeholder engagement to unlock the maritime and economic potential of Delta State as Nigeria’s maritime hub.
The Dantsoho administration is yet to convince Nigerians on his performances on port development and other infrastructure decay . Though inherited , the Managing Director of NPA has failed to look inward since his appointment to tackle these goldmine which can boost the fortunes of the eastern ports. It is time for the NPA boss to boost capacity of the ports for optimal utilisation and revenue drive of the Delta seaports.
Despite his appointment as an insider and someone who grew from the ranks and files of the NPA and being considered as a maritime players , industry watchers have continued to kick the Dantsoho administration for failing to think outside the boxes to grow revenue drive of the government through revamping critical maritime assets laying fallow in other littoral States of the South South region of Nigeria.
