Nigeria’s Economy Must Not Be Held Hostage by Lagos
By Ovie Edomi
The recent outburst from the Lagos State Government against the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over its decision to strengthen operations at the Warri Port Complex is not only misplaced but a dangerous trend that reveals a deeper, tribalized mindset that has long plagued Nigeria’s economic discourse. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration, through its aides, has once again demonstrated an obsession with Lagos’ dominance; cloaked in the language of “strategic advantage,” while dismissing the legitimate aspirations of other regions.
This much was revealed by the League of Maritime Editors (LOME) who feel strongly embarrassed by the vituperation of Governor Sanwo-Olu over the decentralization of port operations to Warri.
We as members of the editorial board of the South South international magazine agree with the recommendation of the League of Maritime Editors that the idea of Lagos being Nigeria’s economic destiny should be re-evaluated. Indeed, Nigeria is a federation, not a fiefdom. The idea that Lagos alone must remain the unrivaled commercial gateway is both arrogant and unsustainable.
For decades, the over-concentration of port activities in Apapa and Tin Can, created monumental congestion, corruption, and inefficiency. Truck extortion, racketeering, and a broken e-call-up system are not the inventions of the Nigerian Ports Authority; they are the direct consequences of Lagos’ failure to manage its own infrastructure and regulatory environment. So for Lagos state government to now resist the decentralization of port operations to Warri, Onne, or Calabar is to insist that Nigeria’s economy remain shackled to Lagos’ dysfunction. Equity demands decentralization in a true federation.
The diversion of cargo to Warri is not a “band-aid,” as Lagos officials claim—it is a necessary corrective to decades of imbalance. The South-South and South-East regions, rich in oil, gas, and human capital, have been systematically marginalized in the distribution of economic infrastructure. Why should Warri, Port Harcourt, or Calabar not enjoy the same level of investment and patronage as Apapa? Why must the Igbo traders or Niger Delta entrepreneurs be forced to funnel their commerce through Lagos, enriching one state while impoverishing others? True federalism demands equity in production, distribution, and growth. Lagos cannot continue to monopolize Nigeria’s maritime lifeline.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos claim to “Unwavering Commitment” is not only a myth but should not also narrow the economic gauge of the development of regional economy, assuming but not conceding that his claim to unwavering commitment may be true. Governor Sanwo-Olu’s aides boast of “heavy investments” in traffic management and multi-agency coordination. Yet the reality on the ground is stark: Apapa remains a nightmare of gridlock, corruption, and inefficiency.
If Lagos’ interventions were truly effective, why does the crisis persist? The truth is that Lagos continues to thrive on commerce,patronage, politics, taxes and rents, not because of great technologies or reforms. The resistance to Warri’s revival is not about efficiency—it is about protecting entrenched interests that profit from chaos and so on
As a federation, Nigeria’s future lies in balance, not domination. The Lagos State Government must be reminded that Nigeria’s economy is not its’ private estate. The Warri Port Complex, as well as Onne and Calabar, represent the hope of millions in the South-South and South-East who have long been denied fair access to national infrastructure. Strengthening these ports is not a threat to Lagos, it is a step toward justice, balance, national cohesion and further economic development A truly federal economy cannot allow one state to dominate while others languish in neglect.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s sectional rhetoric and disdain for decentralization portends danger as well as shows us of
a dangerous vision of Nigeria’s future—one where Lagos remains the sole beneficiary of national commerce, while other regions are reduced to spectators.
This vision must be rejected. Nigeria’s prosperity will only be secured when Warri, Onne, Calabar, and other ports thrive alongside Lagos, ensuring that no regional bloc is subsumed under another. Equity, justice, and balance—not domination—must define our economic destiny.
Hence we support the League of maritime editors, which was founded in 1998, comprising Nigeria’s best corps of journalists who had reported the maritime and allied industry for about 40 years to say that as journalists, as a professional group, the League like other journalists owe society the obligation of setting the records right about possible misconceptions in the maritime industry, both as watchdog and agenda setter. This social contract cannot be negotiated. Evidently therefore, the obsession and dominance of the Lagos ports cloaked in the language of “strategic advantage,” while dismissing the legitimate aspirations of other regions to develop must stop. This is indeed another systemic economic hostage that must not continue if we must grow the country, the largest black nation on earth.