By Dianabasi Effiong
Flowerbudnews: Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has assured of his administration’s commitment to transforming the state’s maritime sector, expanding infrastructure, and deepening partnerships with international development agencies to drive sustainable economic growth.
He made this known on Thursday when he received a courtesy visit from the European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECO WAS led by Mr. Massimo De Luca.
The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, expressed happiness with the assurance given by Luca on plans for the development of Burutu Port as part of the coastal corridor from Lagos through Burutu to Onitsha and Ajaokuta.
“We have been talking about the blue economy since the beginning of this administration, and we are all very eager to participate in and enjoy the enormous benefits that the blue economy has to offer.
“In particular, the proposed development of waterway and maritime transportation across the region presents a very exciting opportunity for Delta State.
“As a state with an extensive network of waterways, we are ready to provide all the necessary cooperation and support to enable this dream, which is indeed our collective dream, to become a reality.
“We have been talking about developing our blue economy and seaports for many years; to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time I am witnessing such a strong combination of serious-minded institutions and development partners coming together with a clear commitment to making this dream a reality.
“With the European Union, development partners, and all these important institutions standing together in support of this initiative, there is every reason to be optimistic,” he said.
He said he was especially pleased by the assurance from the Team Leader about the various projects that had been implemented across Delta State.
“We can see the footprints of these interventions in different sectors, including water supply, healthcare, education, agriculture, and oil palm development.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Delta State, we sincerely appreciate you for your continued partnership and support.
“We have also heard about your willingness to work and cooperate with the state to improve the lives of persons living with disabilities, particularly by providing the necessary support and opportunities to enable them to live more independent and productive lives; this is a very important area, and we commend you for the initiative.
“On behalf of the Government of Delta State, I assure you that we will provide all the necessary support and cooperation required to bring this project to fruition.
“I pray that Almighty God will grant us the wisdom, resources, and commitment to make this dream a reality as quickly as possible,” he said.
Luca had told the governor and top government functionaries that the main focus of their visit to Delta State had indeed been the Blue Economy and related activities.
He said, “Our presentation today will focus mainly on the Sea Link Project. As you probably know, the European Union has a long legacy of supporting development initiatives in Delta State.
“Over the years, we have supported dozens of community projects across various local government areas, in fact, across all the local government areas of the state.
“These projects have included water infrastructure, schools, health centres, civic centres, palm-oil processing facilities, and other community-based investments.
“The Sea-Link Project is very important; for more than a decade, Nigeria and West Africa have had the development of coastal transportation along the West African coast high on the agenda.
“In the case of Nigeria, an obvious extension of this concept is the development of a link between the major ports currently centred around Lagos and the Niger Delta, extending further up the River Niger under what we call the Global Gateway strategy, the general framework which, I believe, my Ambassador also discussed with the Governor during his visit a few months ago.”
According to him, the first transformative impact of this project is that it will help shift traffic from the roads to the rivers and coastal waterways. It will also create new business opportunities and stimulate economic activity.
“When you look at the geography of the project, we already have an existing Port that may require substantial rehabilitation, but it is strategically located in the Niger Delta! I am referring to the Port of Burutu.
“Burutu has excellent geographical conditions and significant competitive advantages in terms of accessibility and its potential to support maritime and inland, waterway transportation.
“The Sea Link, as it is currently envisaged, will establish a route from Lagos, through the coastal corridor to Burutu, and then up the River Niger through Onitsha and onward towards Ajaokuta.
“We are already putting together the various pieces of the financing structure because there is a consortium involving several parties that will participate in the project.
“The required investments will involve several components, including barges and port infrastructure, particularly infrastructure at Burutu.
“In the case of Burutu, we also see the potential for developing the port beyond simply being a stopover along the route to the River Niger.
“We believe Burutu has the potential to become a fully fledged international port; this gives the project a dual aspect,” he said.
Luca also assured on “the potential to develop Burutu into a Port that is open to the ocean and international trade, similar in some respects to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium.”