Ijaw Youth Council Urges Federal Government to Expand Port Development to Warri and other Ports

Following the recent agreement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom to modernize the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has urged the federal government to expand its maritime development agenda to include key ports in the Warri, Onne, Burutu, Bonny, Brass, and the Agge Deep Seaport . While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s infrastructure push, the IYC emphasized the need for fairness and adherence to federal character principles, warning that the current concentration of over N1.3 trillion in investments on Lagos ports risks regional imbalance and economic exclusion.

In a statement by Binebai Princewill, the Ijaw Youth Council called for the rehabilitation and operationalization of strategically significant ports across the region, including Burutu, Warri, Onne, Bonny, Brass, and the Agge Deep Seaport. The group argued that developing these assets would decongest Lagos, stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and enhance national security. It stressed that the Ijaw nation, having contributed immensely to Nigeria’s economy through oil and gas, deserves equitable access to such infrastructure to unlock its full potential.

The council urged President Tinubu to ensure that port development projects reflect true national balance, stating that the continued neglect of these demands fuels ethnic agitations and threatens national unity. The IYC reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful advocacy, insisting that Nigeria’s maritime development must be inclusive and that the principle of federal character must be visible in tangible projects across all geopolitical zones.