Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has issued an urgent call to President Bola Tinubu's administration, demanding the immediate completion of the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway, the Port Harcourt-Enugu Standard Gauge Railway Line, and the comprehensive rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri seaports. The demand, contained in a communiqué issued after the National Executive Council meeting of Ohanaeze held in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on Monday, July 27, 2026, described the projects as critical to Nigeria's economic future and national development.
The organisation argued that the continued delay in completing these projects has hampered economic growth, increased the cost of doing business, discouraged investment and weakened Nigeria's competitiveness in regional and international trade. Ohanaeze urged the Federal Government to classify the projects as matters of urgent national economic importance, insisting that the call was based on economic realities rather than regional or political interests. According to the group, the projects would benefit all parts of the country by improving transportation, boosting trade, strengthening national integration and accelerating industrialisation.
The organisation described the Port Harcourt-Enugu corridor as one of Nigeria's most strategic economic routes, linking the oil-rich Niger Delta with the commercial and industrial centres of the South-East while serving as a gateway to the North-Central and Northern regions. It noted that the poor state of the expressway had increased transportation costs, caused accidents, damaged goods and contributed to rising inflation through higher logistics expenses. Ohanaeze said completing the highway would reduce travel time, improve road safety, lower transport costs, ease the movement of agricultural produce and manufactured goods, and encourage private sector investment.
The group also stressed the importance of completing the Port Harcourt-Enugu railway, saying rail transport remained the most efficient means of moving heavy cargo and passengers, while reducing pressure on federal roads and lowering logistics costs. It further called for the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri seaports, arguing that Nigeria's over dependence on Lagos ports had led to congestion, higher shipping costs and delays in cargo clearance. According to the communiqué, functional eastern seaports would decongest Lagos, reduce import and export costs, improve cargo turnaround time and provide businesses across the South-East, South-South, North-Central and Northern Nigeria with more direct access to international trade.
Ohanaeze said the projects were also crucial for Nigeria to maximise opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area, by positioning the country as a major manufacturing, logistics and maritime hub in West and Central Africa. The organisation projected that within five years of completion, the infrastructure projects could generate between ₦3 trillion and ₦5 trillion in additional annual economic output, contribute up to 1.5 per cent to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product growth and create between 150,000 and 250,000 direct and indirect construction jobs. It added that long-term operations in transportation, logistics, manufacturing and shipping could sustain between 500,000 and one million permanent jobs over the next decade. Ohanaeze further estimated that rehabilitating the eastern seaports could increase government revenue by between ₦700 billion and ₦1.2 trillion annually through customs duties, port charges and related earnings. The group also projected that improved infrastructure would attract between $5 billion and $10 billion in domestic and foreign investments over the next decade, particularly in manufacturing, petrochemicals, agro-processing, logistics and export industries.
The NEC urged the Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other relevant agencies to fast-track the projects. This latest call comes just days after the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide State Presidents Forum and Youth Leaders, at a meeting held on July 13 and 14 in Owerri, commended President Tinubu for ongoing federal road infrastructure projects in the South-East while urging the Federal Government to step up investment in critical infrastructure. That forum had also demanded that the President address the exclusion of key South-East routes from the National Rail Masterplan and ensure the revival of local industrial clusters, such as the Onitsha and Aba manufacturing hubs.
The Tinubu administration has previously demonstrated commitment to the region's infrastructure. On July 15, 2026, the President approved the design and procurement of two strategic federal roads: the 108-kilometre Otuocha–Anam–Abaji Road linking Anambra to Kogi State, and the 150-kilometre Oba–Nnewi–Uga–Ihube Road connecting Anambra and Imo States to the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway. The government has also prioritised the Eastern Rail Corridor from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, with the South-East segment receiving particular attention under the administration's broader infrastructure agenda. However, Ohanaeze's latest demand suggests that despite these interventions, the group believes much more remains to be done to unlock the region's full economic potential and address decades of infrastructure deficits.
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