Commercial activities at Nembe Jetty along Creek Road in Port Harcourt have declined sharply following the inauguration of the Bonny-Bodo Road, with boat operators and traders calling on the government to provide alternative means of livelihood.
A visit to the once-busy waterfront revealed a striking contrast to its former state. The jetty, which previously witnessed constant movement of boat operators and passengers boarding and disembarking from speedboats to-and-fro Bonny Island, now wears a deserted look. Numerous boats remain idle on the water, lined up like abandoned logs, while operators wait endlessly for passengers who never arrive.
Speaking with Kristina Reports, a boat operator who identified himself simply as DPO lamented that the opening of the Bonny-Bodo Road has significantly reduced water transportation to Bonny Kingdom.
According to him, most travellers now prefer the road, leaving boat operators with little or no patronage.
“Na di development wey enta community. Becos nobody wey road go enta him community wey go come like to enta boat again. Many pipu don dey like 30 years dem neva reach dia community, sa as di road enta, na joy to dem. So many of dem dey go dia community now tru di road without no stress.
Di water sef dey make dem fear becos sea pirates dey worry, and now na di bad time of the season of the river, water dey rough. If ur hand no strong, boat go capsize, so as motor don enter now, many of dem don get joy” he said.
DPO noted that the development has forced many boat operators out of business, leaving several families without a reliable source of income.
While acknowledging the importance of the Bonny-Bodo Road in improving connectivity and easing transportation, he appealed to the government to consider the plight of those whose livelihoods depended on water transport.
“Now we live by di grace of God, anything wey u see now, u go manage, wen u wake up u pray. No passenger again wey dey from here dey go Bonny, now di only tin we dey carry go Bonny na just if somebody wan go vessel, becos vessel no go fit follow road, and no be constant, na just once in a while. E no easy, we dey just live by the grace of God”.
He urged the authorities to create employment opportunities, empowerment programmes and other interventions to cushion the economic impact on affected operators.
“Make government just try to recall dia memory to know say some of di youths have been suffering, we do suffer becos di street now, no work.
All these boats wey dey like dis, di owners dey find buyers wey go buy’am. Anything Bonny route for water like this is shut down.
If dem go fit empower di youths make dem empower di youths with work. Becos as road don enta like dis no way for boat. Make government just give us job so dat person no go thief person tin”, he said
The ripple effect of the decline in water transport is also being felt by traders operating around the jetty.
A trader in engine oil, who identified herself as Hope, told Kristina Reports that sales have dropped drastically since many boats are no longer operating regularly.
According to her, boat operators were among her major customers, purchasing engine oil and other marine supplies daily before the road became operational.
“You know, since the closure of this Bonny route, since they had their road transportation it has really affected this business. As they are not using the boats anymore it is really affecting the oil business, we have low sales.
Before, like the 25 litres, we could sell like four gallons for the day, but now it’s even hard for you to sell one gallon for two days.
It’s not just the oil, other businesses have been really affected because the Bonny route is one of the routes that people used to ply mostly because of the company that is there.
So since they have road now, it’s really affecting everybody” she explained.
She appealed to the government to initiate programmes that would revive economic activities around Nembe Jetty and provide support for traders whose businesses have been adversely affected.
“What the government can do actually is just to come and sensitise the people, especially that Bonny jetty. They can still encourage people to still be using the boat transport.
Government can still come and empower the people as well because someone persons are now out of business, they cannot sell, business is not moving, so they need empowerment”.
She suggested.
Although the Bonny-Bodo Road has been widely celebrated for ending decades of dependence on water transportation and improving access to Bonny Kingdom, stakeholders at Nembe Jetty say deliberate intervention is needed to prevent the collapse of businesses that once thrived on the water transport economy.
They urged both the Rivers State and Federal Governments to consider economic diversification, skills acquisition programmes and financial support for affected operators and traders to enable them adapt to the changing transportation landscape.