…Jos, Ibadan, Isialangwa to follow
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has said that the Kaduna dry port which is nearing completion will hopefully come on board in the 2nd quarter of 2017.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council who disclosed this when a team from the Primetime Reporters paid him a courtesy visit at his office on Thursday in Lagos hinted that the concessionaires of the facility had just completed the constructions of the buildings that would accommodate the regulators such as the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and so on.
Bello observed that already, the facility is undergoing testing as containers were being brought to the dry port in Kaduna adding that the idea was to make the facility to an international one so as to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.
According to him,” We have our dry ports, Kaduna is nearing completion, they have just completed the buildings for all the regulators, customs, NDLEA, Shippers’ Council and so on. So, we are hoping that by 2nd quarter of this year, already, there is testing, containers are being brought to the dry port in Kaduna but we want to make it international, the advantage being that we want to reduce the cost of doing business.
“Instead of you to come to Lagos and have your container taken by road up to Kaduna, the goods will come from Liverpool, your bill of Laden is going to read Liverpool/Kaduna because it is a port. So, it will be taken here, it will be put on train or any other modes and taken to Kaduna and you go and pay your duty there. So, this will also boost the economy of Kaduna State. You will see a lot of transportation, warehousing and so many other things”.
The NSC boss recalled that only a fortnight ago, the Council in the company of the Honourable Minister of Transportation undertook a tour of Jos dry port where the Minister stated that the basic things would be done by June this year.
He disclosed that efforts were on to link the facility to rail connection and reconstruct its road as according to him, “the Jos ICD is very suitable, it is located near the airport also”, pointing out that the Minister had directed the Council to enter into discussion with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the possibility of having a link between the airport and the facility.
“We are going to open up Plateau, Benue and all the adjoining states because of the agricultural produce the produce in those places. Some people are talking about setting up an agricultural processing plant, even flour could be exported to many places we have markets from that centre. So, what we are concentrating on is the economy”, he said.
The Executive Secretary further said that there were lots of proposals for dry ports in the South-Eastern part of the country even as he recalled that there was already a dry port in Isialangwa in Abia State which he said would be coming on stream soon.
He said,” I am supposed to go and meet the governor because he has shown tremendous commitment in this, he had reconstituted the local committee on ICD. Now, the ICD concessionaires in Isialangwa are the most serious right now. They have a lot of money and they are going to construction very soon. Besides, there are proposals from Onitsha and Benin and some other axis in the South-South area because also, as you said, it has a sizeable cargo throughput but the South-East is also served with River port which is handled by NIWA (National Inland Waterways Authority)”.
Bello also revealed that the Kogi State government had given the council a parcel of land for it to operate a Truck Transit Park (TTP) stating that gone were the days when trailers park all over the places indiscriminately even as he regretted that this doesn’t happen in other climes but Nigeria as a result of the chaos that goes with it which in turn degrades the environment.
“But here is what we call Truck Transit Park, it is off the road and it is compulsory that you go and park there. So, it is a goldmine, we are going to have restaurants, we are going to have gas stations, we are going to have convenient and so many other facilities and businesses and so on. So, this is a modern infrastructure, it will also employ people. The Jos dry port will employ 2,500 people at the first instance, directly that is, but indirectly, it could be up to 6, 000 and so also the Kaduna ICD”, he stated.
He observed that there were other ICDs coming up in Ibadan noting that the China Construction Company had shown interest in the facility even as he said that they had brokered a meeting between the concessionaires of the Ibadan ICD and the China Construction Company and that they were also meeting together as they would soon start the construction of the Ibadan ICD.
He pointed out,” So, we are opening up the economy, bringing shipping to the doorsteps of the shippers internally. Most of these goods are actually destined for the hinterland but why should I drive my rickety trucks to come and clag Apapa when your goods could be delivered to you there? So, that makes some sense”.
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