Okowa begs federal govt to revive Warri port in order to decongest Lagos

The governor said with the congestion of the Lagos ports, it only makes sense to develop others.

Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has called on the federal government to quickly resuscitate the Warri port, in order to curb unemployment in the state.

The governor made the call at a town hall meeting with youths, including #ENDSARS protesters, civil society groups, students, social groups, community leaders and stakeholders across Delta South and Delta Central Senatorial Districts in Warri this week.

He said that with the congestion of the ports in Lagos, the federal government should revive Warri port and other seaports in Delta State to boost the nation’s economy and create employment for the youths.

He stated that the rate of unemployment in Nigeria is very high, and that checking unemployment is not just about employing people into public service.

Okowa disclosed that to tackle the unemployment challenge, his administration adopted skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes to empower them.

Delta Gov Ifeanyi Okowa addresses young people during a townhall in Warri on October 29, 2020 (Delta State press corps)

"We will try to improve our processes of helping our youths to acquire skills and provide them with starter packs.

"The more active ports we have, the better for the nation. Our economy isn't working the way it ought to work because Lagos is congested.

"The Warri channel needs to be dredged and the federal government has awarded phase one of the dredging. But until phase two is awarded, we will not be able to achieve any success story on that," he said.

The governor thanked the youths for peacefully coordinating themselves and assured that his administration would address some of the issues raised, noting that town hall meetings are an opportunity to hear from the people directly and provide solutions to issues bordering them.

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