.Alleges Marginalisation Of South-East —
The Ohanaeze Council has condemned the UK-Nigeria £747million Lagos Ports deal, alleging the marginalisation of the South-East.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, the group’s National President, Igboayaka Igboayaka, criticised the deal signed for the upgrade of Lagos ports, warning that the continued neglect of seaport infrastructure in Igbo-dominated areas could deepen separatist sentiments.
The agreement, reportedly signed at Lancaster House, covers the modernisation of facilities at the Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port. It was witnessed by President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu.
According to the statement, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while Blair McDougall represented the British government.Nigerian Military updates
The Ohanaeze Youth Council argued that the focus on Lagos ports ignores what it described as historically viable maritime locations in the South-East, including Ose-Akwa/Ose-Moto in Ihiala and Oguta, Azumini Blue Sea in Abia State, and Ozziza Beach in Ebonyi State.
Igboayaka claimed that the Ose-Akwa/Ose-Moto axis, located along the Urashi River, possesses a natural depth suitable for a modern seaport and lies closer to the Atlantic Ocean compared to Lagos ports.
He alleged that the project, initially proposed during the colonial era, was abandoned in favour of Lagos-based infrastructure.
The group further linked what it termed systemic neglect of infrastructure in the region to the growing agitation for Biafra, led by Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
Neglected seaports in Igboland, specifically Ose-Akwa Ose-Moto Sea at Ihiala/Oguta, Obeaku Ndoki Sea, Azumini Blue Sea Ukwa-East Abia State, and Ozziza Beach Afikpo Ebonyi State, demonstrate the empirical evidence of the long-standing injustice and marginalisation faced by Ndigbo, which has led to the call for Biafra Restoration under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“Regrettably, the British Government agreed to refurbish two ports in Lagos, specifically Apapa and Tin Can Island standing at 60 nautical miles to Atlantic Ocean, also undermined the dredging of Ose-Akwa Ihiala Anambra Sea and Ose-Moto Oguta Sea in Imo State in 1958, a site boasting a natural harbour depth of 22m and a mere 18 nautical miles from the Atlantic Ocean,” the statement said.
The group also demanded the immediate dredging of the proposed Ose-Akwa/Ose-Moto seaport channel, estimated at 18 nautical miles to the Atlantic, as well as similar projects in Abia State.
—Source: our heritage reporters.