The Manager of Calabar Ports, Olumati Festus, has disclosed that the port has not received a single container vessel in the past 25 years.
This startling admission was made during an investigative visit by the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Ports and Harbours on Friday in Calabar, the News Agency of Nigeria stated in a report as seen by Naijaonpoint.
To mitigate these challenges, Festus urged the Federal Government to intervene urgently. Despite these obstacles, he noted that the port has managed to increase its monthly vessel reception from four to six to 20 to 21 vessels through proactive stakeholder engagement.
Mr. Peter Odey, Deputy Governor of Cross River, echoed the importance of the Calabar Port as an evacuation corridor to the Gulf of Guinea. He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for including the cost of dredging the port channel in the 2024 budget.