The Bakassi Deep Sea Port offers Cross River an opportunity to re-write her economic history and liberate her from the torture of self-pity: the self pity of loosing the Bakassi Peninsula, the self pity of loosing the 76 oil wells. The Deep Sea Port Project has, recently, provoked unusual attention from both the Federal Governmnent and some neighbouring land locked nations from Central and Northen Africa because of its comparative premium to other seaports in the country. One of those countries is the Republic of Chad. Chadians often pass through the rigours of travelling from the Chad basin to Cotonou in Benin Republic and spend another 3 to 4 days on terrible roads before getting to Nyiami Seaport for shipments to be accessed.
This was why when the Cross River State Government officially announced its intention of building the Bakassi Deep Seaport, the Government of Chad Republic, through her embassy, wrote a letter to the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade on the 10 of August, 2015 with reference number 358/ATA/2015, titled, “Expression of Interest/Memorandum Of Understanding Between the Republic of Chad and Cross River, Nigeria for Trade and Business Development Through Calabar Seaport”. The Letter was signed by Isa Brahim, Ambassador of Chad To Nigeria.
In the same vain, the Federal Minister of Transport inaugurated the Bakassi Deep Seaport Steering Committee on the 5th of May, 2016 in line with the Infrastructure Construction Regulatory Guideline which is being chaired by the Director Of Maritime Services in Federal Ministry Of Transport. Membership of that Committee includes Federal Ministry of Finance, Infrastructure Construction Regulatory Commission, The Nigerian Port Authority, Federal Ministry of Transport and representatives from Cross River State, headed by the Chief Economic Adviser/Vice Chairman of the Cross River State Planing Commission and assisted by the Director General of the Cross River State Bureau of Public Private Partnership (BPPP).
It should be known that all maritime facilities are of exclusive preserve of the central. This is why the Federal Ministry of Transport is fully involved and the state is to, by law, synergise with the central.
However, after thorough assessment, the Bakassi Deep Seaport has been declared to be the only port in Nigeria that will have an un-encumbered corridor that will link the entire country and by extention, land locked nations of the Central and Northern Africa which will enhance the much desired regional integration. This comparative premium is the main reason why interests are turning in from both the Federal and other African countries towards its accomplishment. The Bakassi that we have lost is about to be regained in a hundred folds.
This is a product of my interactive engagement with Dr Francis Ntamo, the Chief Economic Adviser to the Cross River State Government, and the Vice Chairman of the State Planing Commission, while Prof Ben Ayade is the Chairman of the Commission.
Next, I shall write about the export opportunities that will be availed the state by the Deep Seaport and how the Seaport will, inexorably, serve as a vehicle that will drive the state into global economic integration wherein the state will become a vibrant actor in international economic/commercial relations. In those subsequent analyses, certain intellectual models shall be used as frameworks to make such explanations.
Eval Asikong is S.A. to the Governor On Social Media