The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the construction of river ports across the country is a waste of public funds as they are not viable projects.

Amaechi stated this on a television programme monitored by SHIPS & PORTS on Tuesday while answering question on why the multibillion naira Baro river port is yet to commence operation two years after its commissioning by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister said if the lower River Niger is not dredged, no vessel would be able to sail to Baro port.

He said, “I had this conversation with my friend, Senator Goje about the viability of the river ports that we have including Onitsha, Baro, Lokoja and Oguta river ports and I felt that it was a waste of funds.

“The reason is that for you to have those river ports functional, you must have to dredge River Niger. For now, even if you dredge, it is still 2.5 to 3 metre draft, which determines the vessel that can go there and the minimum you can have is a six-metre vessel. There is absolutely no vessel that will come in there at 2.5 to 3 metres draft.

“The idea when the Baro port was concessioned is that you pick up a cargo maybe in Warri or Port Harcourt because Lagos is too far, and put it on a barge and move it to Baro. But how many times will the barge be able to move those cargoes to Baro?

“For the man who imports through Lagos or Port Harcourt, if he puts it on a train, he arrives the same day, and there is no issue of insecurity unlike the man who has taken the cargo from Port Harcourt seaport to Baro by barge.

“They wanted the port constructed, so we completed it. My responsibility is to construct a Baro port and I have constructed it. As Minister, I did engage the public that these are the problems we will face when we finish this Baro port. First Nigeria does not produce anything in the first place so what are you going to transport? If we make the Apapa seaport very efficient, then we don’t even have enough cargo.”

The Baro river port, which was built by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) at the princely sum of N5.8 billion, was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2019.

The President had during the commissioning said that the inland port would enhance intermodal transportation connectivity in the country, reduce pressure from big trucks off the road and create “huge employment opportunities for Nigerians, while also decongesting other busy ports”.

However, despite the economic benefits taunted by the government, port has remained dormant since commissioning.

https://shipsandports.com.ng/amaechi-tags-baro-other-river-ports-waste-of-public-funds/amp/

Amaechi is a bad omen himself.

“I had this conversation with my friend, Senator Goje about the viability of the river ports that we have including Onitsha, Baro, Lokoja and Oguta river ports and I felt that it was a waste of funds.

The reason is that for you to have those river ports functional, you must have to dredge River Niger."

Lol, why did the government bother with these projects if there's little interest in dredging the river?

Front page: Lalasticlala mynd44

This man speaks like someone without advisers .
The cargo moved from onitsha to the north can be done via the rivers. The food product moved from the north to the can be done using badges.

Petroleum products can be shipped to Abuja via lokoja ports, cement from kogi can come to onitsha and warri via badges.

India is using this to save their roads, why can't Nigeria

As Minister, I did engage the public that these are the problems we will face when we finish this Baro port. First Nigeria does not produce anything in the first place so what are you going to transport? If we make the Apapa seaport very efficient, then we don’t even have enough cargo.”

Does anyone remember him giving these warning at NASS?

So what is stopping us from dredging the Niger?...

Maybe because before you can get Baro port functional, Onitsha port has to be viable.. but with trains we can skip all we want.

Meanwhile, the Transport University in Daura and Kano-Kastina-Maradi railway contracts that are the most economically feasible projects right?

Count how many military institutions that are massively concentrated in Kaduna & other northern part of this nation but like Oliver Twist, it is never enough.You will never hear your slavemasters talking this shit.

kettykin:
This man speaks like someone without advisers .
The cargo moved from onitsha to the north can be done via the rivers. The food product moved from the north to the can be done using badges.

Petroleum products can be shipped to Abuja via lokoja ports, cement from kogi can come to onitsha and warri via badges.

India is using this to save their roads, why can't Nigeria

Petrol to Abuja via ports in Lokoja?

What cargo is moved from Onitsha to the north? What exactly is produced in Onitsha?

Esseite:
So what is stopping us from dredging the Niger?...

Maybe because before you can get Baro port functional, Onitsha port has to be viable.. but with trains we can skip all we want.

Many things are stopping us from dredging the Niger.

1. The communities in the Niger Delta refuse to be victims of flood and environmental experimentation They are the most important stakeholders. You do not come to their community and dredge hundreds of kilometres because it will benefirt somebody in Baro or Lokoja whilst leaving them with the environmental impact and no benefit. You cannot dredge in Rivers State , Delta State and Bayelsa state without carrying those states along. Their is no benefit for them. What would benefit them is functional seaports in their domain

2. The Niger flows into Nigeria from other countries in the North and that means they can divert or dam it AT ANY TIME just like is happening with the River Nile in Ethiopia. If Mali or Niger decide to dam the River what can we do?

A Cargo airport in Onitsha sounds more viable than a River port

We keep wasting resources for political expediency. Landing costs at onitsha port is costlier than Apapa.
End of the day, businesses would determine their most viable options.

kiss the truth!

kettykin:

[s]This man speaks like someone without advisers .
The cargo moved from onitsha to the north can be done via the rivers. The food product moved from the north to the can be done using badges.

Petroleum products can be shipped to Abuja via lokoja ports, cement from kogi can come to onitsha and warri via badges.

India is using this to save their roads, why can't Nigeria [/s]

You just exposed your ignorance to the world.

aribisala0:


Many things are stopping us from dredging the Niger.

1. The communities in the Niger Delta refuse to be victims of flood and environmental experimentation They are the most important stakeholders. You do not come to their community and dredge hundreds of kilometres because it will benefirt somebody in Baro or Lokoja whilst leaving them with the environmental impact and no benefit. You cannot dredge in Rivers State , Delta State and Bayelsa state without carrying those states along. Their is no benefit for them. What would benefit them is functional seaports in their domain

2. The Niger flows into Nigeria from other countries in the North and that means they can divert or dam it AT ANY TIME just like is happening with the River Nile in Ethiopia. If Mali or Niger decide to dam the River what can we do?

A Cargo airport in Onitsha sounds more viable than a River port

You are indeed learned. Not the ones speaking from their behind here.

The reason is that for you to have those river ports functional, you must have to dredge River Niger. For now, even if you dredge, it is still 2.5 to 3 metre draft,

if he puts it on a train, he arrives the same day, and there is no issue of insecurity unlike the man who has taken the cargo from Port Harcourt seaport to Baro by barge.

Racoon:
Meanwhile, the Transport University in Daura and Kano-Kastina-Maradi railway contracts that are the most economically feasible projects right?

Amaechi already explained why trains in general are more feasible than river ports. You're free to debunk his arguments. Kano-Maradi is better because their exports will go to lagos port. Benin Republic has been trying to build rail links with then for 2 decades to gain more port traffic.

aribisala0:

2. The Niger flows into Nigeria from other countries in the North and that means they can divert or dam it AT ANY TIME just like is happening with the River Nile in Ethiopia. If Mali or Niger decide to dam the River what can we do?

Nigeria doesn't care that Niger Republic is building a dam currently. It appears they're tired of depending on Nigerian electricity exports. The 1st phase is supposed to be done 2024.

aribisala0:


Petrol to Abuja via ports in Lokoja?

What cargo is moved from Onitsha to the north? What exactly is produced in Onitsha?

Products Manuafactured in Anambra that can be moved to the North and Abuja via Lokoja Ports include the following, presently these products are transported by road causing the roads to fail before their expected failure dates

Car spare parts from Nnewi, Lubricating Oil from Onitsha , Pharmaceutical Products from Onitsha , Processed food Items from Onitsha , Industrial items frok Onitsha and Nnewi
https://www.finelib.com/cities/onitsha/business/-manufacturing


Pretroleum Products can be imported via Onne Ports and transported via barges to Lokoja before taken to Abuja by road to reduce the burden on the roads from Port harcourt to Abuja

aribisala0:


Many things are stopping us from dredging the Niger.

1. The communities in the Niger Delta refuse to be victims of flood and environmental experimentation They are the most important stakeholders. You do not come to their community and dredge hundreds of kilometres because it will benefirt somebody in Baro or Lokoja whilst leaving them with the environmental impact and no benefit. You cannot dredge in Rivers State , Delta State and Bayelsa state without carrying those states along. Their is no benefit for them. What would benefit them is functional seaports in their domain

2. The Niger flows into Nigeria from other countries in the North and that means they can divert or dam it AT ANY TIME just like is happening with the River Nile in Ethiopia. If Mali or Niger decide to dam the River what can we do?

A Cargo airport in Onitsha sounds more viable than a River port

if dredging caused flooding , Areas around panama canal and suez canal would have had endemic flood
Continuous dredging of canals are going on continuously world over without flooding, why will the same dredging give Nigerians headache

kettykin:


Products Manuafactured in Anambra that can be moved to the North and Abuja via Lokoja Ports include the following.

Car spare parts from Nnewi, Lubricating Oil from Onitsha , Pharmaceutical Products from Onitsha , Processed food Items from Onitsha , Industrial items frok Onitsha and Nnewi
https://www.finelib.com/cities/onitsha/business/-manufacturing


Pretroleum Products can be imported via Onne Ports and transported via barges to Lokoja before taken to Abuja by road to reduce the burden on the roads from Port harcourt to Abuja

What products are manufacture in Onitsha ? Which spare parts?

Does Nigeria produce steel ? How much electricity is consumed in Onitsha?

Why all this sentiment?

Since when did Onitsha become a Manufacturing hub?
So you think it makes sense for Nigeria to make long term investment plans around the importation of petroleum products?

We have pipelines taking crude to Kaduna and you are talking of transporting petroleum products on barges?
You are not talking rationally

Which spare parts from Nnewi exactly?
Name them?

The correct thing to do is invest in rail infrastructure and not all this sentimental nonsense

kettykin:



if dredging caused flooding , Areas around panama canal and suez canal would have had endemic flood
Continuous dredging of canals are going on continuously world over without flooding, why will the same dredging give Nigerians headache

You are uninformed

The Suez Canal and Panama Canal are nor River Dredgings They are dredgings of the ocean that are very different from dredging a River to allow Ocean vessels to gain inland access.

Totally incomparable scenarios
It is the people of that region that should have the final say and there is no obvious advantage for them

Flooding is not the only consequence for residents of the Delta. It would affect the whole ecology and livelihood of those dependent on the River in its current form for their livelihood.

So all hope have lost on making our landlocked erosion desecrated land to be viable, we should throw up our hands and give up

aribisala0:


What products are manufacture in Onitsha ? Which spare parts?

Does Nigeria produce steel ? How much electricity is consumed in Onitsha?

Why all this sentiment?

Since when did Onitsha become a Manufacturing hub?
So you think it makes sense for Nigeria to make long term investment plans around the importation of petroleum products?

We have pipelines taking crude to Kaduna and you are talking of transporting petroleum products on barges?
You are not talking rationally

Which spare parts from Nnewi exactly?
Name them?

The correct thing to do is invest in rail infrastructure and not all this sentimental nonsense

you are living in the part, what is the pipe taking crude to kaduna for when the kaduna refinery is not working
whether you want to believe it or not, Onitsha Market is the Largest Market in west Africa and a good Number of goods sold in Onitsha is made in Anambra, the parts that made in Onitsha like brake pads from different companies, car batteries from ibeto and co etc , Innosson cars are made in Nnewi

aribisala0:

You are uninformed

The Suez Canal and Panama Canal are nor River Dredgings They are dredgings of the ocean that are very different from dredging a River to allow Ocean vessels to gain inland access.

Totally incomparable scenarios
It is the people of that region that should have the final say and there is no obvious advantage for them

Flooding is not the only consequence for residents of the Delta. It would affect the whole ecology and livelihood of those dependent on the River in its current form for their livelihood.

Dredging has worked in America 'and China , Nigeria's case is not an exception if you excuse Panama and Suez then there are rivers with river ports below

The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States. It is located in the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania south of Lake Erie to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois. It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States.[2] The river flows through or along the border of six states, and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River, the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for three million people.[3]

The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the water level falls 26 feet (7.9 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km) and is impassible for navigation. The McAlpine Locks and Dam, a shipping canal bypassing the rapids, now allows commercial navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandu_River

kettykin:


you are living in the part, what is the pipe taking crude to kaduna for when the kaduna refinery is not working
whether you want to believe it or not, Onitsha Market is the Largest Market in west Africa and a good Number of goods sold in Onitsha is made in Anambra, the parts that made in Onitsha like brake pads from different companies, car batteries from ibeto and co etc , Innosson cars are made in Nnewi

Largest market? What exactly does that mean? are we talking Square Metres or daily sales


Provide a statistic and a source. Not assertions inspired by akpu intoxication

You are living in the past

We are talking of a digital world and you are talking of largest market. That is a meaningless and unverifiable claim.

kettykin:


Dredging has worked in America 'and China , Nigeria's case is not an exception if you excuse Panama and Suez then there are rivers with river ports below


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandu_River

You continue dredging up unintelligent "facts"

1. The River Niger does not belong to Nigeria . We do not have end to end control of the River. Niger republic can shut down the flow into Nigeria totally

2. You claim it has worked . What does that mean? How exactly has it worked? What volume of imports into the US travels on Rivers? Are Heavy Sea going ships now plying those rivers?

3 How long is the Nandu river you are talking about and does it travel through a region as heavily populated as the Niger Delta with the same kind of unrest issues?

“They wanted the port constructed, so we completed it. My responsibility is to construct a Baro port and I have constructed it. As Minister, I did engage the public that these are the problems we will face when we finish this Baro port. First Nigeria does not produce anything in the first place so what are you going to transport? If we make the Apapa seaport very efficient, then we don’t even have enough cargo.”

Amaechi is one Frank motherfucker who says it as it is without thinking about whose ox is gored.

aribisala0:


You continue dredging up unintelligent "facts"

1. The River Niger does not belong to Nigeria . We do not have end to end control of the River.

2. You claim it has worked . What does that mean? How exactly has it worked? What volume of imports into the US travels on Rivers?

you can make your points without getting worked up over a river port in another people's region.

Zambezi river thats cuts across more than 5 African countries was dredged some years back without problems

https://neweralive.na/posts/dredging-zambezi-halted-dredger-breaks

aribisala0:


You continue dredging up unintelligent "facts"

1. The River Niger does not belong to Nigeria . We do not have end to end control of the River. Niger republic can shut down the flow into Nigeria totally

2. You claim it has worked . What does that mean? How exactly has it worked? What volume of imports into the US travels on Rivers? Are Heavy Sea going ships now plying those rivers?

3 How long is the Nandu river you are talking about and does it travel through a region as heavily populated as the Niger Delta with the same kind of unrest issues?

you can check some of the answers to the questions you raised via the link i provided and you can buttress your points to counter my points without necessarily wring off my points as unintelligent

kettykin:


you can check some of the answers to the questions you raised via the link i provided and you can buttress your points to counter my points without necessarily wring off my points as unintelligent

Guy it is lazy and unintelligent to cut and paste a link as if that makes your point

I don't have time to chase up links
Articulate your point by yourself

So far you are not making any point

aribisala0:

Guy it is lazy and unintelligent to cut and paste a link as if that makes your point

I don't have time to chase up links
Articulate your point by yourself

So far you are not making any point

ok

“For the man who imports through Lagos or Port Harcourt, if he puts it on a train, he arrives the same day, and there is no issue of insecurity unlike the man who has taken the cargo from Port Harcourt seaport to Baro by barge.

Is most of the danger in the Niger Delta or all over. I'd like to know his candid thoughts on dry ports. They government failed to connect rail to them like they did their ports. It seems Nigeria just expertly does haphazard projects.

aribisala0:


You continue dredging up unintelligent "facts"

1. The River Niger does not belong to Nigeria . We do not have end to end control of the River. Niger republic can shut down the flow into Nigeria totally

2. You claim it has worked . What does that mean? How exactly has it worked? What volume of imports into the US travels on Rivers? Are Heavy Sea going ships now plying those rivers?

3 How long is the Nandu river you are talking about and does it travel through a region as heavily populated as the Niger Delta with the same kind of unrest issues?

@1 So please tell us the technological feat Niger will employ to "shut" the river Niger getting to us ? It's economically and politically impossible !!!

please stop making unlearned assertions.Niger republic can only joke with the seasonal level of water getting into Nigeria (something that is already being done ) by building dams. Trying to deny (reroute) the river will cause an ecological disaster Africa hasn't witnessed before. Niger doesn't even have the fund to dream about such suicide mission.

2) dredging actually works ,one of the longest rivers in the world (mississippi) in USA is regularly dredged to accommodate ship -google it if you like.


The plan was never to dredge the river Niger to accommodate big ships -it makes no sense for a country like Nigeria. The plan was for barges to be used for movement of goods and services internally. Amechi isn't in support of the river ports not only because he thinks it won't work,but because he thinks trains would be faster (if we can link most of the country).
And please a lot of goods transverse between the regions of Nigeria if you like I will dedicate another post to tutor you about how we can make effective use of those river ports

Blue3k:


Is most of the danger in the Niger Delta or all over. I'd like to know his candid thoughts on dry ports. They government failed to connect rail to them like they did their ports. It seems Nigeria just expertly does haphazard projects.

Their is a political/regional undertone to government projects in Nigeria,that's our biggest problem. For instance remember the NIIP plan this government abandoned at 70 percent ?only to begin theirs which hasn't achieved even a progress rate of 30 percent.

ideally ,the river ports,dry ports,sea ports,major airports and railways would be connected to give maximum efficiency

sad but this is the truth river niger needs to be dredged