C’River Waterways Safest In N/Delta, Says Stakeholder
4 min read
Contrary to widespread speculations about threats by sea pirates on the Calabar-Oron waterway, Chairman of the SeaExpress Transit Limited, Thompson Eja has ruled that in the entire Niger Delta, the Cross River waterway is about the best and safest.
However, Eja believes that there is room for improvement in the management of the airways, just as it is also necessary for those in charge of road and air travels not to rest on their oars to ensure safety at all times.
Eja spoke to TNN in an exclusive online interview against the background of reports that the Calabar-Oron sea route has become unsafe. Eja whose firm has been on the route for some years now, noted the efforts of the Nigerian Navy to keep the sea safe for travelers.
He also expressed concern about the nation’s maritime space, saying part of the problems facing the industry was human capital. “The maritime industry has huge potential for Nigeria. To grow the industry, as pioneers, we need to figure out how to work closely with regulators at both federal and state levels, our host communities, security agencies (local and international) and financial institutions.
“Believe it or not, a major bottleneck is human capital. Finding talent, training talent and retaining talent to weld into the SeaExpress vision in this part of the region is a challenge with the potential to slowdown growth.”
He lamented that until 2022 when the SeaExpress launched its operations on that route, the maritime sector was virtually non-existent. He said there was a serious emergency in the maritime sector which he said needed to be aggressively developed and nurtured.

“The nations maritime sector is undeveloped. In the twin states of cross river and Akwa Ibom states, the marine sector is basically non-existent. In 2022 when SeaExpress pioneered modern inland waterways transportation between Calabar and Oron, it became the first such service in 35 or so years, since the days of MV Oron and MV Obudu.
“Yet, outside of Agriculture, the maritime sector is cross river state most important resource, capable of accelerating economic development.The underdevelopment, in my opinion is a lack of investment by the ‘people’.”
Eja said the duty of developing the sector should not be seen purely as the responsibility of the government. “Everyone is waiting on government to invest and develop that sector. The government does not have the capacity or resources to drive such investment. Not anymore, given the failures of the past.
“The maritime sector, like most parts in the world, has to be private sector driven irrespective of the challenges in the country. This is how we will build an innovative and sustainable maritime industry. Security has to be viewed as a collective responsibility.
“The cross river state waterways is probably the safest waterways in the entire Niger Delta region. That does not mean there are no issues, the country as a whole has security challenges. The issue of security cannot be addressed without creating opportunities for employment and self sufficiency.”
He said his firm was doing so much to carve a niche for the industry in the country. Hear him: “Part of SeaExpress vision is to continue to invest in the development of our waterways, generate increased economic activity and improve the quality of life in the region.
“As SeaExpress succeeds and employment increases in the region, more people will become vested and have a stake in seeing improved security. As this happens, as a collective, we will be able to pressure government to invest in innovative security solutions.”
As the Calabar-Itu Road remains a nightmare for travelers, the sea route has become the only alternative for those wishing to move to and from the Cross River State capital. Just recently, a former governor of the state, Mr Donald Duke, found the sea route as the preferred alternative to get to Akwa Ibom, instead of using the road.
A video of a young girl who was trapped on the Calabar-Itu Road has been trending, with the girl regretting that she did not make use of the sea route to Calabar.
In talking about how his firm was coping with and survival in the industry, Eja said “SeaExpress has attracted an entirely new demographic to traveling by water. The transformation has been huge. It is the most efficient, fast, reliable and comfortable way to get the Calabar If traveling from Port Harcourt, Eket, Aba, Oron, Uyo etc.
“Regarding reports of occasional banditry, the country ad a whole experiences issues. But the Navy has done an awesome job of largely securing the channel. I don’t worry about patronage and safety of our operations.
“One of the ways we transformed sea travel is the attention we pay to safety. For starters, our vessel have twin engines to ensure no matter what, customers will arrive at their destinations safely. In addition, you cannot board a SeaExpress vessel without wearing life vests. Additionally, all passengers are scanned before boarding our vessels. As regards the later, SeaExpress is the first operator in Nigeria to introduce this measure.”