EARLIER in the week, the Ondo State Government signed a consultancy service agreement with the Maritime and Transport Business solutions (MTB) for the conduct and preparation of feasibility study and conceptual master plan design for the development of the Deep Seaport at Erunna-Ogboti-Ugbonla in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
ACCORDING to the terms of the agreement, MTB would carry out a 10-week plan and design feasibility study before moving into implementation.
AS part of the general arrangement for the proposed sea port, the Ondo State Investment and Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) Chairman, Mr. Boye Oyewumi, said 45 consultants are currently on the field working on the project, to be joined by dutch consultants later.
AN industrial estate, according to reports, would also be part of the total sea port package, which would take between ten to twenty years to build.
OBVIOUSLY, the development of a sea port goes a long way at boosting the economic growth of any geo-entity embarking on the project, as it would house various industries with economic potentials for its people.
THROUGH sea ports, international markets become open to local industrialists to market their products and increase economic production.
IN the process, an abundance of direct and indirect job opportunities are provided for residents who are direct beneficiaries, leading to the reduction of poverty and want.
THIS becomes even more possible if policies are made to make beneficiaries tap into the opportunities that would emerge from the new ventures.
IN the long run, economic development is achieved, and geo-entities embarking on a sea-port project have the ability to maximize their potentials.
FOR Ondo State, this is a win-win proposal, especially when the nation is suffering from the over-reliance on crude oil receipts to catalyze economic development.
THE truth is, Nigeria can afford more than five seaports, and there is no reason why Ondo State should not kick- start such a development, since it can also house a free trade zone and an industrial estate at the same spot.
WITH a sea port at Erunna-OgbotiUgbonla axis, the congestion problem which has become endemic in Lagos seaport would be solved for the benefit of all Nigerians.
THE effort would ultimately translate to the transformation of Ondo from a civil service state into an industrialized one, changing its landscape and providing employment opportunities for thousands of job-hungry youths.
HAVING said this, The Hope notes that the idea of a sea port in Ilaje local government has been mooted at various times in the past 20 years, but due to lack of political will, the project has not seen the light of day.
WE believe that the Akeredolu administration would be doing the entire residents of the state a great favour by breaking the bottlenecks militating against developing the state’s sea port.
IF it succeeds-and we believe it will , the administration would be establishing a good legacy as well as meeting its promise to industrialize the state for the benefits of all.
CONSEQUENTLY, we implore the MTBs which has been involved in the construction of sea ports world over, to expedite action on its part of this very laudable project.
WE also appeal to beneficiaries in the target communities to cooperate with stakeholders involved in the building of the sea port, as without peace no construction can take place.
WE also advice the state government to seek as many partners as possible on a project that should be the most significant one in this part of the world.
IT goes without saying that a deep sea port requires many fathers, so the state government should seek for many of them as possible to put in place an enviable legacy.