By FUNMI OROYE ADERINTO, Kaduna
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that the development of Inland Dry Ports is an important factor in the administration’s economic development efforts.
The president made this expression at the commissioning ceremony of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, held in Kakuri, Kaduna State on Thursday.
According to him, Inland Dry Ports will accelerate the implementation of their economic diversification policy.
“The hinterland business community has waited for too long for such facility that has tremendous potentials to ease the way of doing international business for the interior based importers and exporters,” he stressed.
He said, the concept of Inland Dry Port has gained widespread importance with the tremendous changes in international transportation as a result of the container revolution and the introduction of door-to-door delivery of cargo.
“It provides importers and exporters located within the nation’s hinterland, especially industrial and commercial outfits, access to shipping and port services without necessarily visiting the seaports.
“It also enables them to process clearance of their import cargo and take delivery of their raw materials and machinery close to their places of business. This replicates the port economy in the various centres where the Dry Ports are located inland thereby generating employment and contributing to the ease of doing business,” he explained.
He further said, the Inland Dry Ports will also provide exporters the much needed facilities to process, package, consolidate and forward their exports to their customers all over the world without having to physically be at the seaports.
“It remains for Customs and ports officials to make these facilities work and not to frustrate business, commercial and industrial enterprises with unnecessary bureaucracy and inflicting on them delays and hardships, thereby defeating the object of the whole exercise as has happened in the past. Make these facilities work this time,” he warned.
He pointed out that in addition to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, six other Inland Dry Ports in Ibadan, Aba, Kano, Jos, Funtua and Maiduguri, which have also been gazetted, are at various stages of completion.
He urged all relevant stakeholders, across the public and private sectors, particularly Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Shipping Companies and Agencies, Seaport Terminal Operators, Clearing and Forwarding Agents, Road Haulers and importers and exporters to utilize this facility optimally.
He explained that, “with the full complement of the seven Dry Ports, congestion at the seaport and traffic gridlock in the port complex will be eliminated. Consequently, the cost of transportation and therefore cost of doing business will be reduced”.
He commended the initiative of Nigerian Shippers’ Council towards promoting the provision of these modern transport infrastructural facilities and urged the concessionaires of the other six dry ports to emulate the concessionaires of the Kaduna Dry Port by accelerating work on theirs so that, in the next few months, they too can be commissioned.
He congratulated the Kaduna State Government, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Nigerian Shippers’ Council and indeed the hinterland importers and exporters on this epoch making occasion.
In a remark, Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai of Kaduna State said, this will provide job opportunities in the country.
He said Kaduna State is blessed to be a the first to have Inland Dry Port.
He expressed that “we are building a brand new way to ensure that there is no congestion around the area.
He thanked the President for the efforts made in coming to Kaduna, describing it as a great achievements for the state.
