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IYC Raises Alarm Over ₦1.3trn Lagos Port Investments, Demands Equitable Development Across Niger Delta as UK-Nigeria Deal Targets Lagos
IYC Raises Alarm Over ₦1.3trn Lagos Port Investments, Demands Equitable Development Across Niger Delta as UK-Nigeria Deal Targets Lagos
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has sounded a strong warning over what it describes as a dangerous tilt in Nigeria’s maritime investment landscape, raising alarm that port projects worth over ₦1.3 trillion are being concentrated in Lagos at the expense of the Niger Delta and other geopolitical zones.
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Waterways News Correspondent
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has urged the Federal Government to extend Nigeria’s port modernisation drive beyond Lagos, demanding the inclusion of key Niger Delta ports in the country’s national maritime development agenda.
The call comes days after Nigeria and the United Kingdom signed an agreement to upgrade facilities at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos — a deal the IYC welcomed, but said must not come at the expense of historically significant and strategically vital ports in the Niger Delta.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Binebai Princewill, the IYC — the umbrella body for Ijaw youths worldwide — commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his efforts to modernise port infrastructure, while insisting that fairness, equity, and the federal character principle must guide the distribution of such national assets.
The council specifically called for the development, rehabilitation, and full operation of the ports at Burutu, Warri, Onne, Sapele, Bonny, Koko, Brass, Agge Deep Seaport, and Gelegele Seaport — describing them as historically significant facilities with strong potential for trade, logistics, and industrial expansion.
“The Ijaw nation, which has contributed immensely to Nigeria’s economic survival — particularly through oil and gas resources — deserves equitable access to infrastructure that will unlock its full economic potential,” the statement read.
According to the IYC, spreading port development across all geopolitical zones would ease the chronic congestion at Lagos ports, stimulate economic growth, generate employment, bolster national security, and drive regional industrialisation.
The group also called on relevant government agencies to conduct feasibility studies and develop partnership frameworks to revive Nigeria’s dormant maritime assets.
Raising further concern, the council sounded the alarm over reports that investments totalling over ₦1.3 trillion are being funnelled into Lagos-based port projects — a concentration it warned could deepen regional imbalance and amount to economic exclusion of the Niger Delta.
“We therefore urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to demonstrate statesmanship by ensuring that port development projects reflect true national balance. The principle of federal character must not remain theoretical but should be evident in tangible projects that impact citizens,” the statement added.
The IYC cautioned that sidelining the Niger Delta from major infrastructure investment risked fuelling ethnic tensions and widening divisions in an already fragile national fabric.
“Nigeria is a federation, and its development must be inclusive of all geopolitical zones. As a multi-ethnic nation, Nigeria must be governed with fairness, justice, and balance, where every group feels a sense of belonging. Anything short of this risks undermining national unity,” it stated.
Despite the strongly worded position, the council reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful advocacy, pledging to continue pressing for justice, equity, and sustainable development across the Niger Delta and Ijaw territories.