The Federal
Government at the weekend said it is committed to decongesting the
nation’s ports by activating operations at the six Inland Container
Depots (ICD) located in the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Minister of
transport, Yusuf Suleiman, who disclosed this during his inspection
visit to Inland Container Nigeria Limited (ICNL), a subsidiary of Chrome
Group, said his ministry would soon send a proposal to the Federal
Executive Council (FEC) for consideration and approval, to facilitate
the immediate take off of one of the facilities located in Kaduna.
According to the
minister, a meeting of all interested parties, including members of the
Nigerian National Shippers Council (NNSC), is scheduled for this week,
to work out modalities for making the Kaduna inland port operational
before the end of the year.
The meeting is
expected to discuss a checklist of requirements with the Nigerian
Shippers’ Council (NSC) and other companies on what needs to be done to
get the place approved and given the legal backing to commence business
within the shortest possible time.
Quick process
“There is structural
crisis in Lagos ports, in terms of over congestion in Tin Can and
Apapa. Redirecting imported goods to the hinterland would relieve the
people of the problems they are facing currently.
“Establishing a new
dry port would take a while, but if existing facilities in Kaduna are
improved upon, it could facilitate the realisation of the Federal
Government’s aspiration to establish inland ports in various locations
in the country.
“The convenience of
bringing goods to the northern part of the country would be served if
the ICNL facility becomes operational. Government will do everything
possible to facilitate and assist the formal gazetting processes for the
necessary legal backing to enable it commence operations as a normal
port,” the minister said.
“Opening new dry
ports in locations where there are no ICDs will open new economic routes
for the country, as they would help generate employment for the people,
while there would be downstream impact, in terms of subsidiary
industries that would come up in the areas, when they take off fully,”
he added.
Chairman, Chrome
Group, Emeka Offor, who was represented by the chairman of the board of
the company, Steve Ahaneku, said the company, which began operations in
1980, was among the six later concessioned and licenced in 2002 as part
of government strategy to help decongest the country’s sea ports, help
bring port services closer to the people at the hinterland, as well as
facilitate trade and economic activities.
The other dry ports
are located in Isialla Ngwa and Aba, in Abia State; Jos, in Plateau;
Maiduguri, in Borno; Funtua, in Katsina; as well as Kaduna, in Kaduna.
“With a vision to
become the first and preferred ICD in Nigeria, the justification, value
proposition, and significance of the Kaduna ICD have become imperative
to accelerate the socio-economic transformation of Kaduna State and
environs. This is the only operational dry port in the country as at
today, though without any formal legal backing,” Mr. Offor said.
He identified a
functional rail system linking the dry ports as well as a definitive
legal status as a port of origination and final destination as the key
success factors to make the Kaduna ICD function effectively, and
commended the minister for his concern and immediate response.
ICNL, which is the
concessionaire, has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
with the Kaduna State government through its State Transport Service, to
operate the facility, to save importers and exporters from the northern
part of the country the problem of lack of a port facility in the area.
Government has
already awarded contract to China Civil Construction and Engineering
Company (CCCEC) and Costain West Africa for the rehabilitation of the
Lagos-Kano rail line. The Lagos-Jebba line has already been completed,
while Jebba-Kano line is expected to be ready before the end of the
year.
“Government has done
a lot of work to complete the construction of the rail line from Jebba
to Zaria and Kaduna-Zaria. Government is also rehabilitating the main
rail line this year,” the minister said, though he did not confirm
whether the rehabilitated lines also included those linking the ICDs.
