Alex Otti and China Team Up to Build Abia’s First Seaport
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has given the green light for an immediate feasibility study on the proposed Azumini-Obeaku Seaport and Inland Waterways Corridor, a project that, if realised, could permanently change the economic landscape of Nigeria’s South-East.
The approval came during a high-level meeting at the Government House in Umuahia, where a delegation from China Harbour Engineering Company Limited, led by Marketing Manager Nicholas Liu, presented a detailed technical proposal to the governor.
The Chinese firm brought serious credentials to the table; it was the same company that built the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Nigeria’s only deep seaport, and holds a 52 percent equity stake in that facility.
Governor Otti wasted no time giving his backing but made one demand clear from the start: speed. The Chinese team had proposed a timeline of six to seven months to complete the study.
Otti rejected it outright, directing the company to wrap up the work in significantly less time. He argued that the project was too important and too urgent to move at a slow pace.
The governor also gave the team a practical instruction before the study even begins: visit the site first. The proposed seaport location sits approximately 19 nautical miles from the high seas, a distance that raises the likelihood of dredging being required to make the waterway navigable.
Otti acknowledged that dredging adds cost and complexity, but said he had a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve and expected the study to provide the technical details that would guide next steps.
While the feasibility work gets underway, Otti directed his government to begin the parallel process of securing federal approvals.
That means engaging the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Ministry of Blue Economy, and ultimately the Presidency, a process he wants started immediately, without waiting for the study to conclude.
The project carries deep historical weight. During the tenure of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, similar discussions were held about a seaport in the Obeaku area.
Those conversations never moved beyond proposals. Otti is now racing to do what his predecessor could not, and with China Harbour Engineering Company in the room, he has a partner with the experience and the track record to match the ambition. Abia is a landlocked state. A seaport would change everything. #Alex Otti and China Team Up to Build Abia’s First Seaport#
