Business
Passengers Decry State Of Bonny Jetty In PH
It is no longer news that
Bonny waterfront jetty in Port Harcourt has been in a very deplorable condition for some years now.
And the truth is that passengers, mostly workers and traders, could no longer hide their feelings as they called on the government to come to their aid.
They said their entry point into the speed boats which used to have a Jetty had since collapsed and the area is now a death trap and a source of great concern to the entire people of Grand Bonny Kingdom and other riverine communities within the area.
A petty trader from Bonny, Mr Alali Don Pedro who barred her feeling to our correspondent at the Jetty yesterday said it is a pity that the people of Bonny Kingdom have been neglected by governments as they failed to provide a Jetty for the sea travelling public.
Mr Don Pedro was of the view that as tax paying and law abiding citizens, they deserved a better Jetty in Port Harcourt from the Rivers State Government, but they are subjected to situations that caused injury as passengers fell and sustain serious injury especially when the tide is low.
“I am appealing to the government to please come to our aid as we are also part and parcel of the state, she lamented.
Another passenger who said he is a regular traveler to Bonny , Lawrence Soprieye Hart, also lamented that Bonny is being neglected and an eyesore that there is no portable jetty for the people of Bonny to use while travelling by boat to the ancient city from Port Harcourt.
“It is no longer a story as it is unbelievable that every blessed day, well dressed citizens of Bonny, fall, stain and injure themselves due to the deplorable condition of the Jetty, and it is a pitty that the Transport commissioner in the state, Hon George Tolofari, is from Bonny and made promises that are yet to be fulfilled”, he hinted.
Hart, reiterated that the major means to travelling to Bonny from Port Harcourt is an eyesore to the common people as prominent persons used government and NLNG Jetties in Port Harcourt adding that the speed boat unions are trying to ensure safety and comfort of their passengers single handedly, and appealed for prompt attention.
In his comment, the Safety Master of Bonny Waterfront of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Port Harcourt District, Comrade Kingsley Donatus said the dilapidated Jetty was donated by TSKJ, a company in Bonny in 2002, and it had now collapsed thereby making things difficult for sea route travellers to Bonny. Donatus consoled himself that one of the govenorship aspirants in the state had promised to make the Jetty project a priority but that the union had bought some sand to cement the Jetty to enable passengers board speed boats without much stress.
Collins Barasimeye
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor