Igbo leaders to Tinubu: Reopen Bonny, Opobo ports for economic rejuvenation in South-East

Igbo leaders have called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately lift the economic blockade that led to the closure of the main coastal ports of Port Harcourt, Bonny, and Opobo nearly 60 years ago.

They also urged the President to dredge, modernize, and fully reopen these coastal ports in order to spark a new wave of development in the East, with positive spillover effects on the Middle Belt and even as far as Lake Chad.

The call was contained in a communiqué signed by Chief Kingsley Onyenwemmadu Kainebi (President), Ofochi Benjamin Atagana Esq. (Secretary/Legal Adviser), and Chief Cosmas Chikeobi Agada (Chairman, Local Organizing Committee) for the Igbo Unification Movement and the ‘Ndi Na Asu Bia’ Socio-Cultural Organization, at the end of their conference held in Okpanam, near Asaba, Delta State.

While expressing appreciation to the President for ongoing improvements in national security, the leaders insisted that much more remains to be done.

ALSO READ: Nigeria no longer conducive for Tinubu; he runs away at every opportunity — Peter Obi

They also emphasized the urgent need for unity among Igbo-speaking peoples down to Nigeria’s coastal regions, condemning individuals or groups who either sponsor or allow themselves to be used as instruments of division, disintegration, or land-locking of the Igbo nation.

The leaders expressed pride in the linguistic cohesion of the Igbo people, noting that unlike many other nationalities whose dialects are mutually unintelligible, “Igbo dialects are close, mutually intelligible, and facilitate easy and smooth communication among our people.”

Additionally, the group expressed full support for the creation of Anioma State in the interest of equity and justice. They commended Senator Ned Nwoko for his unmatched efforts toward making that dream a reality.