- Delta, Investor to Revive 130-year-old Port
The 130-year-old moribund Burutu Port in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State will soon come alive as the state government has reached an agreement with a private investor, Akewa Business Group, to revive it.
The Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr. Mofe Pirah, gave the hint, stressing that when revamped, it would be capable of providing jobs for thousands of unemployed youths and boost the state’s economy.
Pirah had led a government team on a fact finding visit to the port to ascertain its potential.
He said his team was at the site to observe efforts being made by the new investor to bring the port back to life and ascertain areas where the state government could help, especially the challenges facing the Akewa Business Group as it commenced work on the port.
The commissioner, represented by his Special Assistant, Godwin Omadoye, said, “The facilities are awesome and have the potential to turn around the fortune of the state. And I think that is why the state government found it necessary that we should come to see things for ourselves.
“We will go back and do a report to the government to take necessary decisions. The state stands to benefit a lot because there will be ample job opportunities and ancillary businesses that will spring up, and these opportunities will combine to increase the state’s revenue.”
The Chief Executive Officer, Akewa Business Group, Chief Kenneth Donye, said his company acquired the port in 2005 from the Federal Government with the aim of reviving it, and had reached an agreement with the Nigerian Ports Authority to run it as a full-fledged port.
He stated “The port, now Akewa Port, established in 1887, was a beehive of export business and one of the most functional in Nigeria before it was left to waste. We acquired it in 2005 from the Federal Government and made all necessary agreements with the Nigerian Ports Authority to run it as a full-fledged port again.
“We reopened the Delta timber industry, ran it for some time, but ran out of log and now had to go to Liberia where we have secured log supply to last us 45 years.”