By Anthony Nwachukwu
Nigeria has called on local and international maritime practitioners, shippers and shipping companies, landlocked countries and port users to take full advantage of the inland dry ports (IDPs) across the country and their “immense” import and export benefits.
Making this call at the commissioning of the Dala Inland Dry Port (DIDP) in Kano State, the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, said the IDP projects would help decongest the seaports and also take shipping and port services closer to importers and exporters in the hinterland.
According to him, the six IDPs, conceived to be sited at chosen locations across the country as part of government’s port reforms, would be concessioned to private sector operators.
Sambo further disclosed that DIDP, which has been concessioned to Messrs Dala Inland Dry Port Nigeria Limited, will be a Customs port in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap. C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Therefore, it will have all the pre-requisites of an international port, including customs, immigration, port health officials and government security agencies.
He explained that Kano was chosen for the DIDP at Zawachiki because of the state’s position as the commercial capital of northern Nigeria.
“The importance of Kano State as the commercial capital of northern Nigeria with huge agricultural trade in local and export volumes is well documented,” a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Henshaw Ogubuike, quoted him to say.
“The state has a sizable number of industrial concerns across most sectors of the economy (which makes it) not only suited but most qualified for an inland dry port.
“The inland dry port project was conceived as part of the Federal Government’s port reform programme designed to, among others, decongest the seaports, while taking shipping and port services closer to importers and exporters in the hinterland.
“Subsequently, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of this critical transport infrastructure at chosen locations across the country, to be concessioned to private sector operators on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), with a strategic framework to Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT).
“I wish to call on national and international maritime practitioners, shippers, shipping companies, landlocked countries and port users to take full advantage of this facility for the import and export of their cargo following today’s commissioning of the dry port.”
Sambo further commended the president for his unwavering support for the development of critical infrastructure, especially in the transport sector, including the recently commissioned Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.
