Why Governor Sheriff Oborevwori Must Take the Driver’s Seat in Warri Port Revival
By Wilson Macaulay
Delta State is sitting on untapped wealth. With four seaports — Warri, Koko, Burutu, and Sapele — the State should be a maritime hub for Nigeria and West Africa. Instead, these ports have been left comatose, while unemployment, insecurity, and economic underdevelopment continue to plague our region.
Meanwhile, other states are not sleeping. Lagos State, with no significant oil wealth, has supported federal port infrastructure in Apapa and Tin Can, and has gone further by acquiring land in Badagry for a new deep-sea port.
Landlocked states like Kaduna, Oyo, and Anambra have established dry ports to connect themselves to global trade. Ogun and Ondo are even digging canals to make their seaport dreams a reality.
If Lagos can build, if landlocked states can fight for dry ports, and if Ogun and Ondo can create canals, then Delta has no justification for folding its arms while Warri Port dies a natural death.
This is where Governor Sheriff Oborevwori must step in boldly. Having aligned Delta State politically with the Federal Government under APC, the Governor now has the opportunity to leverage that alignment for concrete results. One of the biggest dividends should be the revival of Warri Port.
To achieve this, the Governor must immediately set up a Delta Ports Committee — chaired by Deputy Governor Sir Monday Onyeme and supported by Commissioners for Transport, Commerce & Industry, and Economic Planning. I strongly suggest that His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse 111, the Olu of Warri, The Orodje of Okpe, key experts in the Maritime industry like
High Chief Dr Government Oweizide Ekpomupolo aka Tompolo, Chief Julius Rone, High Chief Emonena Victor Wayles Egukawhore, Victor Nwora of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, DR Israel Kwode and others should be Members of the proposed Committee.
The Committee’s task would be simple but critical: liaise with the Federal Government, Nigerian Ports Authority, Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and the private sector players to dredge the Escravos bar, restore the Light Ray attract shipping lines, and restore full port operations using their tentacles to lobby all relevant stakeholders irrespective of their political afflictions.
The benefits are enormous. A functional Warri Port will create thousands of jobs, expand State revenue, decongest Lagos, spur industrial growth, and boost regional trade. More importantly, it will stand as a lasting political and economic legacy of the Oborevwori administration.
Delta State must wake up. Our natural maritime advantage is wasting away, while others with less opportunities are moving ahead. Reviving Warri Port is not just an economic necessity; it is a political imperative.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori must take the driver’s seat in this revival — and the time to do so now.
Wilson Macaulay
Concerned Stakeholder & Advocate for Delta Economic Revival
Warri, Delta State contact 08030886420 Whatsapp only
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(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, MAY 6TH 2026)
