Dr Abbas Suleiman, the President, Association for Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN), has described the Lekki Deep Seaport as a strategic response to Nigeria’s maritime and coastal challenges.
Speaking during a tour of the seaport on Friday, Suleiman recalled that Nigeria’s coastline, like much of West Africa, was predominantly depositional with sand drift from the Sahara forming natural barriers that limited the entry of large vessels.
The association toured the facilities of the Dangote Refinery and the Lekki Deep Seaport as part of activities to mark its ninth Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM).
According to Suleiman, this coastal morphology historically requires extensive dredging and engineering interventions to keep the ports operational.
He noted that while Lagos benefited early from a natural harbour — a factor that influenced its naming by Portuguese explorers — the growth of global maritime trade eventually demanded infrastructure capable of receiving increasingly larger ships.
Suleiman said that various attempts dating back to 2008 were made by private investors to develop a deep-sea port and related industrial facilities in the Lekki axis, but funding constraints stalled the initiative.
He explained that renewed private sector interest around 2011, led by the Tolaram Group, enabled the project to move forward.
The AEIAN boss emphasised that securing international financing required compliance with environmental and social safeguards, including a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
“These institutions insist on EIA approval to ensure that future livelihoods are not compromised and that potential environmental challenges are identified ahead of time, with clear mitigation measures,” he said.
Reflecting on his involvement over the years, Suleiman said he had followed the project from inception and continued, even in retirement, to facilitate technical exposure for AEIAN members through site visits.
Addressing concerns about the perceived neglect of seaports on Nigeria’s eastern corridor, notably Onne and Calabar, Suleiman stated that the issue was not political but economic and environmental.
He explained that unlike Lekki, those ports are accessed through river channels with shallower depths, typically around 12 metres, compared with Lekki’s 16-metre draft.
He added that constant siltation in eastern waterways necessitated frequent capital and maintenance dredging, a cost-intensive requirement that affected port competitiveness.
Suleiman clarified that the Federal Government had, in fact, invested in eastern port development, citing the existence of the Federal Lighter Terminal and the Federal Ocean Terminal in Onne.
He further cited the designation of the Onne Port Complex as an Oil and Gas Free Zone to attract industry activity as an example of government investment.
To ensure navigability, he noted that the Nigerian Ports Authority established the Lagos Channel Management Company and the Bonny Channel Company to maintain dredging operations for safer vessel movements.
Suleiman said investments in deep-sea ports like Lekki would significantly boost Nigeria’s trade capacity by allowing direct berthing of large vessels, reducing offshore trans-shipment and associated costs.
