Economist, Kelvin Emmanuel has criticised Nigeria’s economic structure, describing it as unjust and heavily skewed in favour of Lagos.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Sunday, he questioned the federal government’s commitment to developing ports outside Lagos, citing the Akwa Ibom deep sea port as an example.
“It is economic injustice and Nigeria is structurally skewed to favour Lagos economy, and this is the basic truth,” he said.
“Bollore, the French company, ended up selling itself to MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company. Mediterranean said they are doing revalidation, why is the federal government not putting as much effort in making sure that they start building Akwa Ibom deep sea port like they did for Lekki deep sea port in Lekki Free Trade Zone?”
“How can Lagos have 3 functioning sea ports, the fourth one in the works, and every other place is languishing? How do you build an economy when everything is centred around Lagos? Is it because the Lagos establishment is afraid that if there is an operational sea port in the eastern maritime flank, which geographically is better for maritime operations, we are going to have diversion of port operations from the South East to South South, the North East to Akwa Ibom? Is it because they are afraid of revenue losses? It doesn’t make any sense, we have to say the truth to power.”
The Economist emphasised the importance of decentralising port operations and investing in infrastructure across the country to create a more balanced economy, calling for significant reforms in Nigeria’s economic policies to address structural imbalances and foster equitable development.
“First of all, I would like to commend the Taiwo Oyedele committee that has done very fantastic work over the last 14 months on the tax bills, very fantastic work that cuts through every sector,” Emmanuel said.
“I would like to say that this is the most consequential reform that Nigeria has seen since it got independence in 1960, and I am very, very optimistic that the tax bills, when they are passed, are going to raise the revenue, especially tax-to-GDP ratio, and are going to strengthen the fiscal structure of Nigeria.”
Highlighting the state of Nigeria’s ports, Emmanuel criticised the over-reliance on Lagos, pointing out that other ports in the country are underutilised.
“Of the six different ports in Nigeria—Warri, Onne, Calabar, Apapa, Tin Can—how many of them are operational today?” he questioned.
“The Calabar sea port is dead; we barely have vessels coming there, maybe one vessel per week compared to Lagos. How do you build an economy where the smallest state by landmass, with the highest per capita income and the highest population, has the only functioning sea port in Nigeria while everybody else is left to go home hand-dry? It doesn’t make sense.”
Emmanuel urged the federal government to prioritise projects such as the Akwa Ibom deep sea port, which he noted has strategic advantages over Lagos ports.
“The Akwa Ibom deep sea port, by the way, has a shore-to-sea that is 16 kilometres; it is the shortest distance to deep sea in the whole of Nigeria. It’s shorter than Lagos, shorter than what you have in Lekki, shorter than Apapa, shorter than Tin Can, shorter than the proposed Badagry deep sea port,” he said.
He also criticised the lack of infrastructure in the South East, particularly the absence of a high-pressure gas transmission pipeline in the region.
“The South East does not have a pipe that runs through it, despite the fact that Abia State produces a lot of natural gas,” Emmanuel said. He added that the Nigerian Gas Master Plan, designed in 2007, proposed a pipeline from Aba to Owerri, Enugu, Onitsha, and Nnewi, but the government opted to redirect the pipeline away from the region.
Emmanuel called on the South East Governors Forum to address these issues with urgency, stating,
“Why has the South East Governors Forum not gotten a meeting with the president asking why the region does not have a gas pipe that runs through it? What exactly is wrong that seems like there is a calculated power share between the North West and the South West?”
When asked about the role of the new Ministry of Blue Economy in decentralising port operations, Emmanuel expressed scepticism about the federal government’s commitment.
“If the president is serious and means what he says when he talks about revitalising the economy and building a trillion-dollar economy, he should be at the forefront, leading the charge to ensure building and development starts,” he said.
On the broader issue of decentralising port operations, Emmanuel stated,
“If states could just go ahead and build sea ports, you might have maybe four or five deep sea ports in the eastern maritime corridor by now, but that is not possible. You need regulatory approval, and you need the federal government to contribute its share to the project, which is 20 percent.”
He urged the federal government to prioritise strategic investments, such as the Akwa Ibom deep sea port, to foster equitable economic development.
“This is the most critical project for Akwa Ibom State, and it is a very important project for the entire South East, South South, North Central, and North East,” Emmanuel said. “It makes such economic sense that if the government is not pushing it and has gone cold, then there is another agenda on the table.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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MamaGold=30,500
Royal umbrella=30,500
Mama Gold=30,500
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Mama Africa=30,500
Elephant Gold=30,500
Caprice =30,500
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*These Vehicles Are Direct Tokunbo and Has Never Been Used In Nigeria.*.For any purchase
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#TOYOTA
TOYOTA CAMRY ₦2.2 650,000
TOYOTA CAMRY ₦2.4 850,000
TOYOTA COROLLA ₦900,000
TOYOTA MATRIX ₦800,000
TOYOTA SIENNA ₦950,000
TOYOTA RAV4 ₦1.2 MILLION
TOYOTA VENZA ₦3.5 MILLION
TOYOTA CAMRY SPIDER ₦1.8 MILLION
TOYOTA HIACE BUS ₦2.5 MILLION
TOYOTA PRADO ₦4 MILLION
TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ₦1.8 MILLION
•Toyota Land Cruiser-N1.3m
•Toyota Prado N1.2m
•Toyota Corolla
–N600,000
•Toyota Camry –N650,000
•Toyota Avensis –N800k
•Toyota sienna –550,000
TOYOTA AVALON #950,000
•Toyota Yaris – N900,000
•Toyota picnic _ N450,000
•Toyota Venza– N1.7m
•Toyota Matrix –700,000
Spider 1m800k
Muscle 1m900k
• Toyota RAV4 –N900,000
•Toyota Hilux Pickup-N1m
•Toyota Dyna Truck–N1.3million
•Toyota 4 Runner–N1m
tundra 2.670,000
tacoma 2.5Million
•Toyota Hiace Bus –N1.5m
•Toyota Highlander-N1.2m
•Toyota Big daddy-800k
Toyota Camry Big Daddy=N550,000.
Toyota Camry Tiny-Light=N400,000.
Toyota Avenza =N950,000. To 1.3 million
Toyota Hilux=N 1.2 million
Toyota Avensis=N450,000.
Toyota Camry Muscle=N 600,000. & Spider=N650,000.
Toyota Avalon=N600,000.
Toyota Rav4 SUV=N850,000.
Toyota Sienna=N600,000.
Toyota 4Runner=N800,000.
Toyota Tundra=N 1.8 Million
Toyota picnic=N450,000.
Toyota Highlander=N1m550,000. to 2m
Toyota Corolla=N500,000.
Toyota Prado=N950,000. To 3.4 million
Toyota LandCruisser=N950,000. to 3m
Toyota Yaris=N750.000.
Toyota Matrix=N550,000.
Toyota Haice Bus=N 950,000 to N 1.3 Million
Toyota Camry 2.4M Tiny-Light ₦850.000
Toyota Camry Big-Daddy ₦950.000
Toyota Camry Muscle ₦1.2M
Toyota Camry Spider ₦1.3M
Toyota Avalon ₦2.2M
Toyota Avensis ₦1.2M
Toyota Corolla ₦950.000
Toyota Yaris ₦1.2M
Toyota Matrix ₦900.000
Toyota Picnic ₦1.1M
Toyota Sienna ₦2.1M
Toyota Venza ₦3.2M
Toyota Rav4 ₦1.1M
Toyota 4Runner ₦1.8M
Toyota Hiace-Bus ₦2.9M
Toyota Highlander ₦2.3M
Toyota Land Cruiser ₦4.6M
Toyota Tundra ₦4.8M
Toyota Prado ₦5.3M
#HONDA
HONDA ACCORD ₦700,000
HONDA PILOT ₦1.2 MILLION
HONDA EOD ₦850,000
HONDA ODYSSEY ₦1MILLION
Honda Baby Boy= ₦780,000
Honda Accord EOD= ₦950,000
Honda City= ₦750,000
Honda Crosstour= ₦1.2M
Honda CR-V= ₦950k
Honda Odyssey= ₦850,000
Honda Pilot= ₦1Million
Honda Pilot=N950,000.
Honda Baby Boy=N500,000.
Honda End of Discussion(EOD)=N550,000.
Honda Accord=N500,000.
Honda CRV=N800,000.
Honda Accord ₦950,000
Honda City ₦850,000
Honda Civic ₦950.000
Honda C-RV ₦1.5M
Honda Crosstour ₦1.2M
Honda Element ₦950.000
Honda Evilspirit ₦1.1M
Honda Odyssey ₦1.2M
Honda Pilot ₦2.3M
*Prices of some Volswagen cars:
Golf 2-250,000
Golf 3-N300,000
Golf4-350,000
Golf 5 -N550,000
Jetta-N350,000
Passat-N450,000
#LEXUS
LEXUS Es300 ₦1.3 MILLION
LEXUS Es330 ₦1.6 MILLION
LEXUS Es350 ₦2 MILLION
LEXUS Rx300 ₦1.7 MILLION
LEXUS Rx330 ₦3 MILLION
LEXUS Rx350 ₦4 MILLION
LEXUS RX400 ₦3.5 MILLION
LEXUS GX460 ₦4 MILLION
LEXUS GX470 ₦5 MILLION
LEXUS ES300@#1.3 MILLION
LEXUS ES330@#1.6 MILLION
LEXUS ES350@#2 MILLION
LEXUS RX300@#1.7 MILLION
LEXUS RX330@#3 MILLION
LEXUS RX350@#4 MILLION
LEXUS RX400@#3.5 MILLION
LEXUS GX460@#4 MILLION
LEXUS GX470@#5 MILLION
Lexus GX460=₦6.6M
Lexus GX470=₦8.4M
Lexus GX570=₦13.8M
Lexus IS-250=₦2.1M
Lexus ES-330=₦1.5M
Lexus ES-350=₦2.6M
Lexus RX300= ₦1.5M
Lexus RX330= ₦2.8M
Lexus RX350= ₦3.2M.
Lexus Rx300=N800,000. To N2.1 Million
Lexus Rx330=N850,000 To N2.2 Million
Lexus Rx350=N900,000 To N3.3 Million
Lexus Rx470=N3.m
Lexus Rx330 ₦2.1M
Lexus Rx350 ₦4.1M
Lexus Rx400 ₦5.4M
Lexus Gx470₦7M
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MERCEDES C240 ₦1.3 MILLION
MERCEDES C300 ₦1.7 MILLION
MERCEDES ML350 ₦2.8 MILLION
MERCEDES GLK350 ₦3.8 MILLION
MERCEDES GL470 ₦4 Million.etc.
BENZ C-CLASS ₦3,000,000
MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 250 4.6M
MERCEDES-BENZ E-Class ₦3,500,000
MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class ₦4,000,000
MERCEDES-BENZ GLK ₦4,500,000
MERCEDES BENZ ML₦5,000,000
Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦1.5 million
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦1.7 million
Mercedes-Benz G-Class ₦2.5 million
Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦3.5 Million
Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 4.8MILLION
Mercedes Benz ML350 ₦2.3 million
Mercedes Benz g-wagon ₦125 million.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦3.5M
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦3.9M
Mercedes-Benz G-Class ₦3.8M
Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦4.6M
Mercedes Benz ML₦5.6M
Nissan pathfinder= ₦1.9M
Nissan Altima= ₦1.820,000
Nissan Armanda= ₦1.2M
Nissan Murano 950,000
Nissan Murano=N850,000. to N 1.2 Million
Nissan Pathinder=N800,000. To N 1 million
Nissan Altima=N800,000.
Nissan Maxima=N600,000.
Nissan Altima ₦1.2M
Nissan Armada ₦2.3M
Nissan Maxima N1M
Nissan Murano ₦1.4M
Nissan Primera ₦900,000
Nissan Pathfinder ₦1.5M
Nissan Maxima= ₦1.600,000.e.t.c.
Range rover vogue 8mill
Range rover sport HSE 4.8m
Land rover 3.3m
Land Rover Discovery ₦4.8M
Land Rover Freelander ₦5.5M
Land Rover Vogue ₦5.2M
Range Rover Sport. ₦5.5M
Acura ZDX 1.550,000
Acura MDX 1.6m
Acura TL ₦1.2M
Acura MDX ₦2.2M
Acura ZDX ₦1.9M
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