Maritime stakeholders have lauded the Nigerian Shippers Council for the planned establishment of an Inland Dry Port in Nasarawa State.
The Managing Director of Kaduna Inland Dry Port, Rotimi Hassan, lauded the NSC for the move.
“It is a good move by the government, but I would also advise the government to look at the ones they have established and how they are performing, they should look at their challenges to address it. The essence of the dry port is to serve as a port of origin and a port of destination. This means you can export from there to other ports and also receive consignment directly to the place. The NSC is trying but should look into the challenges and address them,” Hassan said.
Also, the Vice President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Nnadi Ugochukwu, said, “It is a move in the right direction, but the unfortunate thing is that we have so many bonded terminals that are being starved of cargoes. But in summary, it is a welcomed development.”
Recall that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council had facilitated the development of IDP projects in some states, including, Isiala Ngwa in Aba; Erunmu in Ibadan; Heipang in Jos, Zawachiki in Kano; Zamfarawa in Funtua, Katsina; Jauri in Maiduguri and ICNL in Kaduna State.
The idea was to bring shipping facilities nearer to the hinterlands as well as decongest the seaports.
In a recent development, the Nasarawa State Government expressed willingness to partner with the NSC to facilitate the establishment of an IDP in the State to enhance the state economy.
The Assistant Director of Public Relations, NSC, Rebecca Adamu, in a statement on Sunday, said that the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Pius Akutah, disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule.
Akutah hinted that the governor had already issued directives on how the project could be actualised for the benefit of shippers in the state.
The NSC CEO further disclosed that the governor had directed the Attorney General of Nassarawa State, Labaran Magaji, to coordinate a team of the management of the Nassarawa Investment Agency to meet with the NSC to actualise the aspiration.
He said, “Nasarwa State produces a large volume of sesame seed which necessitated the establishment of the Inland Dry Port in the state. The Nasarawa State Government is planning to visit the NSC as part of the efforts to fast-track the development of the IDP project in the state,” Akutah explained.
He added that the state was an advocate of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement and would ensure awareness creation concerning the importance of the trade agreement for exporters in the state.
The NSC boss believed that the dry ports project in many parts of the country would boost employment opportunities for Nigerians and increase substantial revenue generation for the government.