MWUN, ANLCA Threaten Onne Port Shutdown Over Bad Roads

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne youths and other stakeholders have issued a four-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to urgently rehabilitate the dilapidated internal roads at Onne Port, Rivers State, and suspend the controversial E-Call Up levies imposed on trucks accessing the port.

The stakeholders warned that failure to address the issues by Monday, August 17, 2026, would lead to a shutdown of business activities at the port.

The ultimatum was issued amid growing concerns over the worsening condition of roads within the Onne port complex and surrounding areas, which stakeholders said had become a major threat to the safety of port users, movement of goods and smooth business operations.

Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Eastern Port, Uche Ogbu, who spoke alongside representatives of ANLCA, Onne youths and other stakeholders in Onne on Wednesday, accused the relevant authorities of failing to address the infrastructure challenges despite repeated appeals.

Ogbu also criticised the implementation of the E-Call Up system without adequate holding or loading bays for trucks entering the port, saying the situation had contributed to indiscriminate truck parking and increased safety risks.

He said the stakeholders would withdraw their services from Monday if the government failed to respond to their demands.

“We are the people carrying the burden of the E-Call Up levies. We, the maritime workers, in collaboration with other stakeholders and Onne communities, are going to down tools from Monday,” Ogbu said.

He added that the workers would also move to stop E-Call Up operations within the port as part of measures to compel the authorities to address the concerns.

According to him, the Nigerian Ports Authority generates revenue but depends on allocations from the Federal Government for major infrastructure projects, adding that the agency should communicate the condition of the Eastern ports to the appropriate authorities.

Ogbu said, “None of them are ready to live up to their responsibility; they are only interested in the E-Call Up. A huge percentage of the E-Call Up goes to the NPA. We know that if we stop the E-Call Up, they will sit up and do something about our plight.”

Also speaking, Chairman of the ANLCA Onne Chapter, Ifeanyi Isikaku, called on the Federal Government to allocate part of the revenue generated through the Onne Port to the rehabilitation and maintenance of its access roads.

Isikaku said the Onne Port Command generated approximately N439 billion in customs revenue between January and July 2026, while the Oil and Gas Free Zone Customs generated about N48 billion during the same period, bringing the combined revenue to approximately N487 billion.

He argued that part of the revenue should be reinvested in the infrastructure around the port, particularly the roads used daily by port workers, truckers, businesses and members of the host community.

According to him, the poor condition of the roads had resulted in frequent traffic disruptions, damage to goods and vehicles, container accidents, injuries and loss of lives.

The ANLCA chairman also condemned what he described as the continued illegal parking of trucks on Onne roads, blaming the situation on the failure of the Nigerian Ports Authority to provide adequate holding bays before the implementation of the E-Call Up system.

The stakeholders consequently resolved that illegal parking of trucks on Onne roads should stop in order to restore free movement of traffic within the community.

They further demanded the immediate rehabilitation and proper maintenance of all access roads leading to the port, particularly those prone to container accidents.

The customs agents also resolved that their members would no longer participate in what they described as arbitrary and excessive payments associated with the E-Call Up system.

They demanded the suspension of the E-Call Up system until adequate holding bays are constructed to accommodate the volume of trucks operating at the port.

The suspension, according to the stakeholders, would take effect on Monday, August 17, and remain in place until the identified challenges are addressed.

The Eleme-Onne axis of the East-West Road has been in poor condition for an extended period. Although construction work has commenced around the Eleme axis, stakeholders said progress had remained slow, while the Onne axis and several internal port roads remained difficult to access.

Onne Port is a major hub for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry and hosts about 300 oil and gas companies, making the condition of its road infrastructure particularly important to maritime and energy-related activities.

Meanwhile, sources within the Nigerian Ports Authority said efforts were being made to address the concerns raised by the stakeholders.